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I— On  the  Way  to  the  Mines  in  1849.     II— A  Scene  in  Camp.     Ill— Landing  Three 
Miles  Beeow  Sacramento  City.    IV.— Sutter's  Famous  Adobe  Fort  in  1849. 

[By  courtesy  of  Thb  Magazine  of  American  History.] 


CHARLES  D.  FERGUSON. 
1853. 


CHARLES  D.  FERGUSON. 
1887. 


THE 


Experiences  of  a  Forty-niner 


DURING 


THIRTY-FOUR   YEARS'    RESIDENCE 


IN 


CALIFORNIA  AND  AUSTRALIA 


BY 

CHARLES   D.  FERGUSON 


EDITED  BY 
FREDERICK  T.  WALLACE 


CLEVELAND,   OHIO: 

THE  WILLIAMS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1888 


Fs<73 


Copyright,  1888, 
By  Charles  D.  Ferguson. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 
7  <Z  t0<} 


INTRODUCTORY. 

IT  is  a  suggestive  if  not  a  significant  coincidence,  that 
the  Hebrew  historian  of  creation  assigned  to  man  a 
primitive  abode  in  the  now  unknown  Eden,  watered  in 
part  by  the  lost  Pison,  embracing  within  its  area  the 
"land  of  Havilah,  where  there  is  gold,"  and  making  as- 
surance doubly  sure  of  the  excellency  of  the  mineral  prod- 
ucts of  that  country  in  the  statement  that  "the  gold  of 
that  land  is  good,"  besides  abounding  in  bdellium  and  the 
onyx  stone. 

Gold,  as  the  most  precious  and  most  highly  prized  of 
minerals,  wrought  into  articles  of  personal  adornment, 
coronal  emblems  of  royalty,  or  as  a  ^medium  in  the  com- 
merce of  nations,  is  prehistoric.  The  tombs  of  Egypt  are 
now  surrendering  golden  treasures  and  exquisite  personal 
ornaments  that  once  adorned  the  daughters  of  Pharaoh 
and  the  ladies  of  the  Egyptian  court,  thousands  of  years 
before  the  golden  calf  was  set  up  and  worshiped  in  the 
valley  before  Sinai.  The  passion  for  the  acquisition  of 
gold  is  an  inheritance  from  our  remote  ancestry  of  Havi- 
lah, surpassing  in  intensity  the  desire  for  any  other  min- 
eral known  to  man.    Gold  is  a  familiar  word,  pervading 

all  written  history,  sacred  and  profane;  employed  alike 

m 


IV  INTRODUCTORY. 

by  prophet,  priest  and  king.  And  throughout  sacred  liter- 
ature gold  is  the  emblem  of  purity,  and  refined  gold  the 
standard  of  comparison  with  faith,  hope  and  love. 

When  the  author  of  Genesis  wrote,  the  geographical 
locality  of  Havilah  was  doubtless  well  known  to  him  and 
his  readers,  and  was  the  source  from  which  came  the  gold 
of  prehistoric  antiquity.  Since  the  Havilah  gold  fields 
were  worked,  three  great  epochs  of  gold  discovery  have 
passed,  each  leaving  its  impress  upon  nations,  states  and 
social  life.  Like  the  course  of  empire,  gold  discoveries 
have  been  westward,  until  the  circuit  of  the  earth  has  been 
compassed.  Neither  in  the  Scriptures  nor  in  the  histories 
of  the  monarchies  of  the  Euphrates,  do  we  get  but  oc- 
casionally a  faint  glimpse  of  the  industries  of  the  people 
or  the  commercial  character  of  the  ancient  nations ;  but 
all  relates  to  the  wars  of  rival  sovereigns  and  religious 
ceremonies,  and  but  for  the  brief  allusion  to  the  building 
of  ships  at  Ezion-geber,  by  Solomon,  which  made  three 
years'  voyages  to  the  unknown  Ophir  and  returned 
freighted  with  gold,  sandal-wood  and  peacocks,  one  would 
suppose  his  splendid  reign  consisted  mainly  in  building  a 
temple  and  writing  songs.  Nevertheless,  his  reign  was 
manifestly  one  of  great  commercial  enterprise.  He  was 
the  first  truly  historical  discoverer  of  a  new  gold  field.  It 
resulted  in  vast  wealth  to  his  empire  and  a  royal  fame 
which  has  come  down  to  us  surpassing  that  of  all  other 
oriental  monarchs,  the  glories  of  which  astonished  the 
queen  of  Sheba,  past  whose  royal  dominions  his  ships 
had  sailed  out  of  the  Red  sea  into  mysterious  waters,  and 
returned  laden  with  the  wealth  of  Ormuz  and  of  Ind.   Jeru- 


INTRODUCTORY.  V 

salem  suddenly  rose  from  an  interior  mountain  village  to 
a  city  of  the  first  class,  ranking  with  Tyre  and  Sidon  and 
Damascus.  With  the  gold  of  Ophir  he  built  Tadmor  in 
the  wilderness,  embellished  the  city,  built  the  walls  there- 
of, Millo,  and  a  palace  for  his  Egyptian  wife,  the  daughter 
of  Pharaoh. 

Such  as  remember  the  news  by  the  ship  from  ''around 
the  Horn,"nowjust  forty  years  ago,  will  not  need  to  draw 
wholly  upon  their  imagination  for  the  effect  produced  by 
the  return  of  the  Ophir  fleet,  how  Tyre  and  Sidon  and  the 
cities  of  Asia  Minor,  from  Tarsus  to  Ephesus  and  Troy, 
were  agitated  by  the  news,  how  the  lumbermen  of  Mount 
Lebanon  and  the  artisans  of  Damascus  were  stricken  with 
the  Ophir  fever,  and  \  Tt;re  carried  away  in  the  next  fleet 
that  sailed. 

Twenty-five  hundred  years  later  and  two  thousand  miles 
further  to  the  westward,  in  Spain*  when  the  western  ocean 
had  relaxed  its  chains  and  a  vast  continent  had  appeared 
with  cities,  states  and  empires  unheard  of  before  Colum- 
bus— of  an  antiquity  coeval  with  Egypt — Pizarro  sent 
home  to  his  sovereign  millions  in  gold — spoils  of  the 
plundered  Temple  of  the  Sun  in  the  empire  of  the  Inca  of 
Peru.  Then  from  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  to  the  Pyrenees, 
and  from  the  Tagus  to  the  Ebro,  the  gold  fever  raged  to  a 
degree  then  unprecedented  in  history,  resulting  in  volun- 
tary emigration  such  as  no  other  country  ever  experienced . 
the  acquisition  of  a  continent,  and  two  hundred  years  of 
colonization,  national  prestige  and  sovereign  grandeur. 
Finally  the  defeat  of  the  Duke  of  Medina  Sidonia  and  the 
destruction  of  the  "invincible"  Armada— loss  of  prestige 


VI  INTRODUCTORY. 

-and  of  provinces,  culminating  in  national  decay.  For 
more  than  two  hundred  years  Peruvian  gold,  transported 
in  the  galleons  of  Spain,  furnished  the  incentive  to  piracy 
and  freebooting,  so  long  the  terror  of  the  seas. 

The  passion  for  gold  of  the  government  of  Spain  and 
the  higher  ranks  of  its  subjects  was  so  intense  as  to  event- 
uate in  crimes  and  cruelties  more  terrible  than  ever  before 
were  perpetrated  by  civilized  man  upon  a  gentle  and 
inoffensive  people.  Emigration  from  Spain  to  Mexico  and 
Peru  from  1492  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  far  sur- 
passed that  of  England  for  the  colonization  of  North 
America  from  1607  for  an  equal  length  of  time— the  one 
inspired  by  gold,  the  other  by  liberty  of  conscience  and  the 
spirit  of  freedom. 

But  it  was  reserved  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury to  record  the  most  wonderful  discoveries  of  gold  in 
the  history  of  the  human  race.  With  California  and 
Australia  so  recent  and  familiar  to  all,  the  record  of  dis- 
covery would  seem  to  be  forever  closed.  These  two  simul- 
taneous events  not  only  deeply  affected  the  commercial  and 
social  institutions  of  America  and  Europe,  but  brought 
into  existence  great  states  and  an  ocean  empire  whose 
places  on  the  map  of  the  world  theretofore  had  been  desig- 
nated only  as  territory  unexplored. 

It  is  yet  within  the  memory  of  the  middle-aged  how  in- 
tensely the  country  was  agitated,  when,  in  1848,  the  news 
<;ame  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California.  Not  even  the 
late  civil  war  occupied  the  public  mind  more  than  did  the 
golden  regions  of  the  Pacific  coast  for  several  years.  Emi- 
gration thereto  instantly  set  in,  each  individual  inspired  by 


INTRODUCTORY.  VH 

hopes  of  acquisition  of  a  portion  of  the  rich  deposits, 
which  for  multitude  was  beyond  comprehension  and 
almost  beyond  belief.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  was  a  city, 
village  or  rural  town  in  the  United  States  that  was 
unrepresented  in  California  or  Australia  during  the  first 
five  years  of  the  golden  age  of  those  countries. 

Of  the  vast  multitude  who  sought  those  lands  hun- 
dreds and  probably  thousands  never  reached  them,  but 
whose  unknown  graves  dot  the  plains,  whose  bones  lie 
scattered  upon  the  deserts,  or  rest  among  the  coral  reefs 
of  the  Pacific  ocean.  The  spirit  of  adventure  pervaded 
old  and  young  alike,  and  the  gray-haired  man  and  the 
beardless  boy  were  partners  and  companions  in  that  most 
hazardous  enterprise  of  the  age. 

In  this  volume  is  sought  to  be  recorded  something  of 
the  personal  experiences  during  a  third  of  a  century  of  one 
among  the  thousands  of  Ohio  boys  who  were  "out  in  the 
forty-nine."  The  pleasant  town  of  Aurora  was  his  home. 
He  has  related  in  the  following  narrative  his  youth- 
ful aspirations  and  the  circumstances  attending  his 
departure.  The  editor  assumes  the  responsibility  of 
an  allusion  to  him  personally,  and  to  his  ancestry  very 
briefly,  that  the  reader  of  his  narrative  may  be  confirmed 
in  the  truth  of  the  saying  that  "blood  will  tell."  In  the 
battle  of  Culloden,  where  "Proud  Cumberland  prances, 
insulting  the  slain,"  his  Scotch  great-grandfather  fell. 
The  son  of  the  ancient  hero,  John  Ferguson,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years  became  a  voluntary  exile  in  France,  and 
came  to  America  with  Lafayette,  served  through  the 
Revolution,  was  captain  of  a  company,  and  at  the  close 


Vni  INTRODUCTORY. 

of  the  war  settled  in  Blandford,  Massachusetts.  His  son, 
Samuel  H.  Ferguson,  at  the  age  of  twenty  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  in  Aurora,  where  he  married  Julia  Forward, 
daughter  of  Judge  Forward  who  settled  there  in  1803, 
and  sister  of  Honorable  Walter  Forward,  secretary 
of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States,  in  the  cabinet 
of  President  Harrison.  She  dying,  he  subsequently 
married  Anna  McKinney,  a  widowed  lady,  whose  mother 
was  Anna  Holly  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  sister  of 
Honorable  John  Mattocks,  one  of  the  early  senators  of  the 
United  States,  for  that  state.  Mr.  Charles  D.  Ferguson, 
whose  experiences  are  related  in  this  volume,  is  the  son 
of  Samuel  H.  Ferguson  by  his  second  marriage.  He  is 
still,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  a  gentleman  of  restless 
activity,  energy  of  character  and  high  spirit,  and  the  reader 
will  not  fail  to  discover  in  the  following  pages  something  of 
his  mental  capacity,  Scottish  prudence  and  intelligent 
foresight,  blended  with  and  supplemented  by  the  bravery 
and  gallant  bearing  of  a  Roderick  Dhu. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  pages  of  this  book  the  editor 
has  had  the  benefit  of  very  ample  notes,  recently  made 
by  the  narrator  from  memory,  he  never  having  kept  a 
written  diary,  and  of  many  personal  interviews.  In  yield- 
ing to  the  importunities  of  many  to  put  a  few  of  his 
experiences  into  readable  form,  he  has  constantly  insisted 
that  no  exaggerations  shall  be  indulged  in,  and  nothing 
•stated  but  the  simple  truth. 

As  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  events  and  incidents  relate 
to  matters  personal  to  himself  or  within  his  own  ob- 
servation, the  editor  has  deemed  it  but  natural  and  proper 


INTRODUCTORY.  IX 

that  the  narrative  should  take  the  form  of  the  first  person. 
And  now  without  apology,  excuse  or  further  explanation 
the  reader  is  respectfully  referred  to  the  narrative  of  one 
whose  experiences  for  a  third  of  a  century  have  been,  to 
say  the  least,  remarkable,  if  not  unprecedented,  in  indi- 
vidual history  since  Marco  Polo,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
left  his  palatial  home  in  Venice,  traversed  the  continent  of 
Asia,  passed  over  the  Himalaya  mountains  and  crossed  the 
desert  of  Gobi,  to  the  court  and  empire  of  Kublai  Khan, 
now  just  six  hundred  years  ago. 

F.  T.  Wallace. 
Cleveland,  January,  1888. 


: 


c 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter  1 9 

Gold  Excitement,  1848 — Inspiration  and  Plans — Consent  of  Parents 
—Disappointment— Renewed  Hope— Visit  to  Illinois— Embarking 
at  Cleveland  for  Chicago — Incidents  of  the  Voyage— Winter  at 
Ottawa— A  Relapse  of  the  Gold  Fever— An  Ottawa  Company— 
Journe3'  to  St.  Louis — Negro  Melody — Purchases  and  Passage  to 
St.  Joseph. 


Chapter  II. 17 

Steamer  Orient — Passengers  a  Hard  Lot — Thief  Knocked  Over- 
board—Complimented by  the  Captain— Independence  and  St. 
Joseph— Old  Fort  Kearney — First  Camp — Drowned  Out— Cross- 
ing the  Missouri — Salt  Creek,  now  Lincoln,  Nebraska— A  Santa 
Fe  Post  Rider— Party  of  Pawnees— Deer  Shooting— A  Man  with 
a  Wheelbarrow. 


Chapter  III 35 

Junction  North  and  South  Platte — Snow-Storm — Distress  and  Suffer- 
ing—Crossing the  South  Platte — Ogalalla — Impressions  of  the 
Country — North  Platte  Crossing — Buffalo  Herds — Game — Sioux 
—Trading— Ft.  Laramie— Shooting  Wagons— Crows— Stealing,  a 
Business  Transaction  —  Pancake  Snatching— The  Frying-Pan 
Knock  Down. 

XI 


XH  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter  IV 47 

Black  Hills— Antelope  and  Elk— Canadian  Fur  Trappers— Court- 
House  Rock— Chimney  Rock— Hostile  Crows— Strange  Manceu- 
vers— Our  Scotchman's  Sudden  Sickness— An  Indian  Prisoner  of 
War— His  Surrender  Negotiated — The  Pipe  of  Peace — George,  the 
"  Squaw  "—Trading—  Empty  Jug  Discovered — Whiskey  Legal 
Tender — Independence  Rock. 


Chapter  V 56 

•South  Pass— The  Summit— Dividing  of  the  Waters— Subblet's  Cut-off 
— General  Rejoicing — Green  River  Crossing — The  Shoshones — Wo- 
man's Burdens— No  Chivalry— Hot  Springs— Steamboat  Valley- 
Game  Scarce— Fort  Bridger— Old  Jim  and  His  Squaw— Black 
JRiver  Crossing— Echo  Canon— Salt  Lake  in  the  Distance. 


Chapter  VI '. 67 

Salt  Lake  City — Hospitality — Mormon  Women — Anxiety  for  News — 
Needles  and  Thread — Brigham  Young — Sunday  at  the  Temple — A 
Race  with  a  Shower — Laughing  Ladies— Distance  Deceptive — 
Comforting  Assurances — Indians  all  Baptized — Ogden  Park— Sud- 
den Death— Bear  River— The  Valley— Then  and  Now. 


Chapter  VII 77 

Fort  Hall— Soda  Springs— Another  Party— Disagreement— Humbolt 
River— The  Sink— The  Lake— The  Desert— Suffering— Alkali  Water 
— Digger  Indians— Surprised — The  Killed— A  Death  Avenged — Our 
Loss — Starvation — Boiled  Badger — Exhaustion — Mental  Weak- 
ness— Childish  Petulance. 


CONTENTS.  XIII 

PAGE 

Chapter  VIII 94 

Another  Comrade  Killed— Eleven  Dead  Indians— Provisions  Gone— 
Shall  a  Horse  be  Killed— Wagon  Trail  Discovered— Hope  Revived 
—Great  Rejoicing— Oregon  Party— Rescued— The  Women— Mush 
and  Milk— Price  of  Provisions— Yankee  Doodle  Beef— Cutting  Out 
the  Arrow — Indian  Camp  Surprised — The  Captain's  Hopeful  Son 
—Pulling  the  Captain's  Tooth— The  Quack  Doctor. 


Chapter  IX 113 

A  Prospecting  Party— Generosity— Lessen 's  Ranch— Parting  with  the 
Oregonians — Near  the  Gold  Fields — Sensations— Dinner  in  Camp 
— First  Day's  Digging — Mountain  Fever — Mining  Operations- 
Grizzly  Bear— Lurking  Indians— Finding  Ohio  Boys— Marysville 
— Yuba  City— High  Prices. 


Chapter  X 139 

Nevada  City — Wood's  Ravine — Ohio  Boys — Miners'  Generosity — 
Gamblers  and  Gambling— Judge  Lynch's  Court— Ohio  Party  Res- 
cued—Rough and  Ready — Mrs.  Phelps  and  Her  Pies — First  Wo- 
man in  Nevada  City— Church  Bazaar  Post-Office— The  Scales- 
First  Newspaper — Deference  to  Woman. 


Chapter  XI 155 

Mining  Associations— A  Claim — Rifle  Bounded — Kiote  Diggings — Hir- 
ing Out — "Galena" — Senator  Stewart — Painful  Sickness — Poor 
Man's  Creek — Borrowing  a  Mule — Another  Grizzly — Perry's 
Death — Ingratitude — Jumping  a  Claim — First  Mining  Suit— Evic- 
tion—The  Evictor  Evicted— Luck— A  Miner's  Superstition. 


XIY  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
Chapter  XII 170 

Gold  Run— Shaft  Sinking— Timbering— Wash  Dirt— The  Enterprise 
Company — Kiote  Hills  Tunneling — Grass  Valley — A  Midnight  Cry 
— Quartz  Mining — Mortar  and  Pestle— First  Stamp  Mills— Mark 
Twain's  Experience— Job's  Patience— Mrs.  Coates — Teaming  to 
Sacramento — Lost  and  Found — No  Thanks — Where's  My  Coat? — 
Chief  Cook — Nevada  in  Flames — Doctors'  Duel — Crimes  and  Pun- 
ishments— Dueling — Bull-fighting — Women  and  Improved  Society 
— Indian  Dances  and  Funeral  Fashions. 


Chapter  XIII 198 

Improved  Methods — The  Cradle — Quicksilver — Long  Tom— Sluice 
Boxes— Hydraulic  Washing — News  from  Australia — Resolved  to 
Go  There— Settling  Up-rCarried  off  by  the  Gold  Fever— Sacra- 
mento— San  Francisco — Ship  Don  Juan — Steamer  Winfield  Scott 
Arrives — Practical  Jokes — Careless  Shooting — Spurs  and  Shirt 
Collar — On  Deck  of  the  Don  Juan — Adieu  to  San  Francisco. 


Chapter  XIV 216 

Pass  the  Golden  Gate— Bound  for  Australia — Seasickness — Pumping 
— Passengers— Society  Islands— Deficiency  of  Supplies— Becalmed 
— Crossing  the  Line — Neptune's  Reception — Tahiti  Experiences  and 
Sports — The  Calaboose — Quack  Doctor — A  Duel — Heir  to  a  Duke- 
dom— Brother  of  an  Earl. 


Chapter  XV 230 

Leave  Tahiti— Reduced  to  Beans— Prospect  of  Casting  Lots— Job's 
Comforter— Insanity    from    Hunger — Norfolk    Island — Captain 
Price — Soldiers— Prisons — Punishments — The  Clergyman — Hang- 
ing Persons   "Comfortably" — Pigs  and  Poultry — Sydney,  Aus- 
ralia — Arrive  at  Melbourne. 


CONTENTS.  XY 

PAGE 

Chapter  XVI: 240 

Impressions  of  Melbourne — Getting  Out— Keller's  Bed-bug  Hotel- 
Black  Forest  —  Bush-rangers —  Diggers —  Sticking  Up — Harper's 
Hotel  —  Porcupine  Hotel — Bendigo  Diggings — First  License — 
Americans— Sheep's  Head— Ovens  River— Marching  in  a  Robber. 


Chapter  XVII 251 

A  New  Rush — Carrying  Swag — Mackiver  Diggings — Government 
Escort  Robbed — Arrested  and  Searched — Our  Landlord's  Endorse- 
ment—  Discharged  —  Blowhards — Shooting  for  a  Wager— Mrs. 
Scott's  Fourth  of  July  Dinner — Police  Interfere— Captain  Wilson — 
The  Quack  Doctor  of  the  Don  Juan— "Old  Pills "— Loveland's 
Noble  Generosity. 


Chapter  XVIII 258 

Woolshed  Creek  Diggings — Health  Failed  —  Expensive  Traveling — 
Bread  and  Milk — Melbourne  Again — American  Circus— Minstrel 
Company — Ocean  Steamers — Loveland  Departs— Loneliness  and 
Regret — Mr.  W alter — The  Great  Nugget — Restaurant  Business- 
Mrs.  Hanmer  and  the  Adelphi — Horsewhips  Her  Partner — Mr. 
Wooden. 


Chapter  XIX s 275 

The  Ballarat  Rebellion— Its  Causes— Petitions  to  Government- 
Police — Troops— Miners  Prepare  for  War — Peter  Lalor— Amer- 
icans Protest — California  Rangers — The  Battle — Miners  Taken 
Prisoners — Surrender  to  the  Police — Imprisonment. 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter  XX 288 

In  Jail— Ragged  and  Bloody— The  Only  American  Prisoner  of  War- 
Friends — An  Editor  in  Limbo — Wooden  and  Nichols  Arrive — 
Charge  of  High  Treason — Preparation  for  Trial — Trial  and  Ac- 
quittal— Rejoicing  of  Friends— Jealousy — Partiality  Towards  the 
Young  American — United  States  Consul — Interview  with  the 
Governor— Peace  Restored— Diggings  Resumed. 


Chapter  XXI 302 

Wadagalac  Diggings — A  Store — Success — A  Gold  Broker — Robbery 
and  Murder  of  Murphy — Punishment — The  Black  Guide — Thick 
Skull— Dealing  with  Tramps— Return  to  Ballarat— A  Struggle 
with  Robbers — The  Ballarat  Bank — The  Famous  Bank  Robbery 
— A  Woman  in  the  Affair. 


Chapter  XXII 318 

Alma  Diggings— Ovens  Creek — Newspapers— Wealth  and  Extrava- 
gance— "A  Hatter" — First  Engine  on  the  Woolshed — Court  of 
Mines — Devil's  Elbow — Hard  Work — Great  Results — Nine-pins — 
Fourth  of  July— News  of  the  Rebellion  in  United  States — Sadness 
and  Silence — Friendships  Among  Strangers — George  Francis 
Train— American  Ball— My  Partner — Mrs.  Mason — The  Star  of 
the  Evening — The  Milliner's  Bill. 


Chapter  XXIII 334 

Ballarat— United  States  Hotel  Burned — Death  of  Nichols — Still  on 
the  Woolshed — Tom  Departs — Gunston  Again — Scarcity  of  Beef 
—After  Cattle— Incidents  of  the  Trip— A  Woman  "Stuck  Up"— 
Robbers  in  Jail — Squatter  Stations — "Sweat  Out"  —  "Fly- 
Blown" — "Old  Hands" — A  Race  with  Robbers — Successful  Trip 
—Profits  Satisfactory. 


CONTENTS.  XYH 

PAGE 

Chapter  XXIV 345 

Sick  Again— Gunston  Goes  Another  Trip — Incident — Leave  Wool- 
shed  for  Melbourne — Delirious— My  Nurse — The  Washerwoman 
— Recovery — First  Staging — Concord  Coaches — Cobb  &  Com- 
pany— Forbes  &  Company— Davis  &  Cooper — Enter  Davis  & 
Company's  Service — Impounding  Horses — The  Rescue — The  Out- 
come— Watson  &  Hewitt — Excitement  of  Coaching. 


Chapter  XXV 362 

Rarry's  Exploits— Horse-Taming— Furor  in  the  Colonies— Observa- 
tions in  Boyhood — The  Secret  No  Secret — Could  Do  the  Same — 
Tried  and  Succeeded— Horsemen  Astonished — Public  Exhibition — 
Handsome  Receipts  —  Exhibit  in  the  Principal  Cities — Jerry 
Luther  and  the  Ladies— Benefit  for  the  Schools— The  Lunch— 
The  Wild  Horse  and  his  Fair  Rider. 


Chapter  XXVI 377 

Gipps'  Land— A  Gold  Rush— Dealing  with  His  Uncle— Cattle  Duffing 
— Unexpected  Offer  —  Royal  Society  —  Exploring  Expedition  — 
Hasten  to  Melbourne — Appointed  Foreman  of  the  Expedition — 
Fitting  Out — The  Start — Reviewed  by  the  Governor — Curiosity 
of  the  People — Camels  a  Novelty — Grooming  a  Camel — Cooper's 
Creek— Resignation  and  Return— Fate  of  the  Expedition— Star- 
vation and  Death. 


Chapter  XXVII 398 

After  Ten  Years — Invests  in  Quartz — A  Failure — Rush  to  New  Zea- 
land—Gets a  City  Contract— Coach  Driving— Fox's  Diggings- 
Lumbering  on  Waktepac  Lake — Lord  Trotter  and  His  Sheep— 
The  Mutton  Story— The  Raffle  for  the  Boat. 


XVm  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
Chapter  XXVni 414 

Butchering  in  New  Zealand — The  Natives — Cannibal  Memories — Re- 
turning to  Melbourne— Sickness—Sons  of  Freedom  Compan}'— 
Colonies  Described— Botany  Ba\-  Convicts— Tasmania— Capture 
of  Buckley — Birds  and  Animals — Natives — The  Boomerang — 
Lost  Children— Trackers— Rabbits— Churches—  Education— Par- 
liament— Products  and  Commerce. 


Chapter  XXIX 444 

Mental  Panorama — Memories  of  Eminent  Persons — Statesmen- 
Sportsmen— Stock  Breeders— Cattle  Kings — Millionaires — The 
Claimant— Fleet  Horses — Crimes  and  Criminals — Kelley  Brothers* 
Gang — Victoria  Prison. 


Chapter  XXX..... 464 

Gipps'  Land— Pioneers— Stations— Great  Estates— Horse  Aristocracy — 
Stringy  Bark— House  Building— Gum  and  Cherry  Trees— Bountiful 
Crops — Answering  an  Advertisement — Tongia — In  the  Mountains — 
Murder  of  Green — Omeo — Discovery — Chinese — Spanish  —  Dutch- 
Captain  Cook— First  Colony— Lost  and  Found— First  Newspaper- 
Governors— Law  System  and  Courts— Population  Then  and  Now. 


Chapter  XXXI 484 

The  Return — Correspondence — Resolve — Adieus — Sydney — The  Zea- 
landria — Sadness  — Passengers — Auckland  —  Honolulu — Diver- 
sions and  Entertainments — Fourth  of  July — San  Francisco — 
Changes — Reflections — The  Railway — Familiar  Scenery — Hum- 
bolt  Sink — Ogden — Cleveland  — Visiting — Loveland  — See — Alone 
in  his  Native  Country — "  Over  the  Range." 


THE  GOLD  FEVER.  9 


CHAPTER  I. 

Gold  Excitement,  1848  —  Inspiration  and  Plans  —  Consent  op 
Parents— Disappointment— Renewed  Hope— Visit  to  Illinois- 
Embarking  at  Cleveland  for  Chicago  —  Incidents  of  the 
Voyage— Winter  at  Ottawa— A  Relapse  of  the  Gold  Fever  — 
An  Ottawa  Company— Journey  to  St.  Louis— Negro  Melody- 
Purchases  and  Passage  to  St.  Joseph. 

AMONG  the  many  thousands  who,  in  1848,  were  ex- 
cited to  the  verge  of  lunacy  on  the  arrival  of  the 
news  from  " around  the  Horn,"  announcing  the  discovery 
of  gold  by  Marshall,  at  Sutter's  mill,  on  American  river, 
California,  the  relater  of  the  events  and  experiences  re- 
corded in  this  book  was  one.  Visions  of  gold  excited 
my  brain.  It  was  not  the  gold  alone,  but  an  awak- 
ening of  a  strong  desire  of  adventure  which  had  per- 
vaded my  spirit  from  a  small  school-boy  taking  my  first 
lesson  in  geography.  Foreign  countries  marked  upon  the 
pages  of  the  little  school  atlas  were  fascinating,  and  many 
were  the  pictures  I  drew  in  my  youthful  imagination  of 
some  future  time  when,  by  travel,  I  should  know  more  of 
the  world.  How  I  did  envy  Captain  Cook  and  Robinson 
Crusoe,  the  latter  especially.  I  remember  one  day  resting 
with  my  brother  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  near  our  old 
Ohio  homestead  when  a  sedate  gentleman  rode  by  on 


10  THE  FEVER   CATCHING. 

horseback.  "  Do  you  know  that  man  ?"  said  my  brother. 
I  said  no.  "That  is  Judge  Eben  Newton,"  said  my  brother, 
"  and  he  is  what  I  will  be  some  day.  What  will  you  fee?" 
asked  my  brother.  '  'I  will  be  a  traveler, ' '  said  I, ' '  and  see  the 
world ."  It  is  a  strange  coincidence  that  the  two  lads  under 
the  shade  tree  reached,  respectively,  the  height  of  his  boy- 
ish ambition — I  to  my  heart's  content. 

There  were  numerous  other  boys  in  our  neighborhood 
who  had  the  gold  fever,  caught,  doubtless,  in  some  instances, 
from  me,  for  it  was  surely  "catching."  Many  were  the 
evenings  we  got  together  and  laid  our  plans.  There  was 
not  a  newspaper  that  had  an  item  about  gold  that  was 
not  learned  by  heart,  and  great  pains  taken  to  enlarge 
and  embellish  the  accounts  to  our  parents.  When  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  my  dear  old  father's  and  mother's  con- 
sent to  let  me  go,  I  was  the  proudest  boy  in  Ohio.  Pictures 
of  untold  wealth  nearly  drove  me  wild.  This,  however, 
was  but  for  a  short  period,  for,  as  the  time  drew  near  for 
my  departure,  my  parents  suddenly  changed  their  minds. 
I  was  too  young,  they  said,  to  go  out  into  the  world  of 
temptations,  and  especially  among  the  Indians.  My  heart 
sank  ten  degrees  below  zero,  but  it  was  of  no  use;  the  old 
people  had  settled  it,  and  go  I  should  not.  But  to  concili- 
ate my  wounded  spirit  and  recompense  me  for  my  disap- 
pointment, they  agreed  that  I  might  go  and  visit  Doctor 
George  W.  McKinney,  a  half-brother,  living  at  Ottawa, 
Illinois.  I  grasped  the  situation.  Now  was  my  chance, 
and  I  was  determined  not  to  throw  it  away.  I  appeared 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  arrangement  and  soon  left  home, 
little  thinking  that  thirty-four  years  would  pass  away 


a  mother's  last  words.  11 

before  I  should  return,  and  then  to  find  that  other  hands 
than  mine  had  to  assist  in  laying  my  aged  and  gray-haired 
parents  in  their  quiet  rural  graves,  and  that,  too,  many 
long  years  before  their  seemingly  thoughtless  but  not  un- 
feeling son  returned.  0,  how  many  sleepless  nights,  how 
many  anxious  hours  they  have  waited  and  waited  for  my 
return!  My  dear  old  mother's  dying  words  were :  "Tell 
Charles  I  have  waited  and  waited  until  I  can  wait  no 
longer,  and  only  hope  to  meet  him  in  Heaven."  Heaven 
rest  her  soul.  May  her  joys  surpass  the  sorrows  I  caused 
her  here  upon  earth. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  September,  1849,  when,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  I  bade  good-by  to  father,  mother 
and  friends,  and  repaired  to  Cleveland  where  I  embarked 
on  the  lake  steamer  A.  D.  Patchen  for  Chicago.  It  was 
late  in  the  season,  the  weather  generally  rough,  and  my 
trip  was  not  an  exception,  unless  it  was  unusually  rough, 
which  I  think  it  was,  since  I  have  experienced  many  severe 
storms  on  the  ocean  hardly  more  severe.  Had  I  been  on 
shore,  and  safe  at  home,  I  would  have  been  content  to  re- 
main there  and  let  gold -seeking  go  to  David  Jones'  locker. 
But  that  feeling  soon  vanished  after  arriving  at  Chicago. 
It  was,  however,  not  the  Chicago  of  to-day,  for  I  think  the 
population  did  not  exceed  seventeen  thousand.  Among 
the  incidents  of  this  lake  voyage  was  one  on  Lake  Huron. 
There  were  many  clergymen  passengers  on  board  who 
were  on  their  return  from  a  conference  at  Buffalo.  In  the 
midst  of  the  storm  Captain  Whitaker  passed  through  the 
saloon  in  a  great  hurry,  when  the  ministers  accosted  him 
to  know  if  there  was  any  danger  ?   "  Danger !   Yes,  we  will 


12  ON  THE  LAKES. 

all  be  in  h — 1  together  in  less  than  ten  minutes !"  The  min- 
isters united  in  both  audible  and  silent  prayer  till  the 
storm  abated.  A  passenger  came  aboard  at  some  port 
near  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan.  He  had  been  left  by 
some  other  boat  the  day  before.  He  was  intoxicated,  and 
after  supper  walked  out  on  the  hurricane  deck  and  fell 
overboard.  The  engine  was  stopped  and  boats  lowered, 
but  to  no  purpose;  the  poor  fellow  had  sunk  to  rise  no 
more,  unless  at  the  final  resurrection.  His  wife  came 
aboard  at  Chicago  to  look  for  him.  But,  alas,  no  husband 
was  there,  and  the  only  memento  she  obtained  was  his 
hat.    Thus  ended  my  first  voyage  on  the  inland  seas. 

From  Chicago  to  Ottawa,  eighty  miles  by  canal,  took 
twenty-four  hours,  which  is  now  accomplished  by  rail  in 
less  than  three.  At  Ottawa  I  found  the  gold  excitement  as 
intense,  if  not  more  so,  than  in  Ohio ;  so  there  was  no  hope 
for  my  recovery  from  the  fever,  since  I  had  already  relapsed 
from  the  first  attack,  and  doctors  say  a  relapse  is  more 
liable  to  be  fatal  than  the  first  attack.  I  found  it  so  in 
my  case.  There  is  no  disease  or  desire  on  earth  so  con- 
tagious as  the  gold  fever.  There  is  no  asylum  for  the  pa- 
tient and  no  physician  who  can  minister  to  a  mind  thus 
diseased. 

My  mind  was  made  up  to  go  to  California  and  nothing 
but.  death  could  stop  me.  But  how  to  get  away  was  the 
only  thing  that  troubled  me.  I  had  spent  my  money  rather 
freely  among  my  brother's  friends,  to  whom  in  a  short 
time  I  had  become  quite  warmly  attached,  and  who  in 
compliment  to  my  cheerful  intercourse  with  them,  unani- 
mously voted  me  a  "chip  of  the  old  block,"  however  that 


THE  QUESTION  SETTLED.  13 

may  be  interpreted.  Most  of  them  are  dead  now  (1887). 
A  few  remain  in  Ottawa.  Arthur  Lockwood  is  still  there. 
William  Earle  now  lives  at  La  Salle,  Colorado,  I  believe, 
though  I  have  not  seen  him  since  my  return  to  this  country. 
Doctor  Thomas,  another  of  my  early  Ottawa  friends,  lives 
in  Samanock,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  whom  I  recently 
had  the  pleasure  of  visiting.  Others,  if  they  still  live,  are 
scattered  and  distributed  among  the  great  states  of  the 
west,  and  whom  I  shall  never  probably  meet  again  on 
earth. 

How  to  approach  my  brother  on  the  subject  of  going  to 
California  was  a  perplexing  matter  to  me.  Soon,  however, 
a  favorable  moment  came.  Winter  had  nearly  gone,  and 
spring  was  approaching  with  all  its  suggestiveness  of 
activity  and  labor.  One  day  my  brother  asked  me  what  I 
intended  to  do.  My  courage  failed  me  when  put  to  the 
test.  Ianswered,  of  course,  that  I  did  not  know.  Hemade 
me  several  offers,  and  suggested  several  fields  of  enterprise 
which  almost  any  young  man,  in  less  excitable  times, 
would  have  deemed  advantageous  and  fortunate,  but  all 
of  which  I  declined.  My  apparent  indifference  to  his  every 
suggestion  doubtless  seemed  to  him  to  indicate  either  stu- 
pidity or  ingratitude,  and  he  was  justly  provoked  when  he 
passionately  said :  ' '  What  in  h — 1  do  you  want  to  do  ?  "  My 
brother's  indignation  inspired  me  with  boldness.  This  was 
my  opportunity,  and  I  improved  it  by  saying  in  the  most 
frank  and  respectful  manner  possible,  that  I  wanted  to  go 
to  California.  He  made  no  reply,  but  called  his  wife  and 
said  to  her:  "This  young  man  wants  to  go  to  California," 
and  without  waiting  for  her  even  to  express  her  astonish- 


14  THE   "  OCEAN  WAVE." 

ment,  he  told  her  to  pack  my  things  and  let  me  go.  She 
pleaded  with  me  for  my  mother's  sake,  but  to  no  purpose. 
I  was  going  now,  and  no  mistake. 

There  were  three  others  of  Ottawa  friends  of  Doctor 
Thomas  and  pleasant  acquaintances  of  mine,  who  were 
making  arrangements  to  go,  and  I  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment to  join  them.  All  things  being  ready,  and  consider- 
ing delays  dangerous,  we  were  anxious  to  be  off  at  once. 
So  on  the  fourteenth  of  March,  1850,  we  left  Ottawa  for 
Peru,  where  we  were  to  take  steamer  for  St.  Louis.  We 
found  a  steamer  about  ready  to  rundown  the  Illinois  river. 
The  captain  of  the  Ocean  Wave,  for  such  was  its  imposing 
name,  remembered,  doubtless,  by  many  even  unto  this  day, 
agreed  to  take  ourselves,  four  in  number,  four  horses  and 
a  wagon  to  St.  Louis,  for  the  modest  sum  of  twenty-four 
dollars.  The  only  stop  we  made  on  our  trip  down  the 
river  of  any  considerable  length  of  time  was  at  Peoria,  and 
I  shall  ever  remember  this  place  for  the  pleasant  impressions 
it  made  upon  my  mind.  Even  at  this  early  day  it  was  quite 
imposing — a  magnificent  place.  I  had  never  seen  then,  nor 
have  I  since,  a  place  where  nature  had  been  so  lavish  in  her 
endowments  to  make  a  beautiful  city.  I  have  thought  of 
it  and  spoken  of  it  many  times  in  foreign  lands,  as  the 
loveliest  little  town  I  ever  saw.  We  arrived  in  St.  Louis 
on  the  eighteenth  of  March,  where  the  Ocean  Wave  was 
made  fast  in  her  place  and  we  disembarked.  Here  I  was 
impressed  with  the  vast  number  of  steamers  along  the 
levee.  It  seemed  to  me  they  numbered  thousands.  For 
miles  along  the  levee  they  lay  three  and  four  deep.  The 
sugar  and  cotton  steamers  belonging  to  the  lower  Missis- 


FITTING  OUT  FOR  THE  JOURNEY.  15 

sippi  were  readily  distinguished  from  those  of  the  upper 
Mississippi.  The  hands  on  board  the  former  were  all 
negroes.  When  night  came  they  would  all  assemble  around 
the  capstan,  and  one  would  lead  off  in  a  song,  the  others 
would  join  in,  the  next  boat's  crew  would  take  it  up,  and 
so  on  until  the  whole  was  one  grand  concert  from  one  end 
of  the  levee  to  the  other.  Since  then  I  have  listened  to 
fashionable  operas,  and  heard  renowned  prima-donnas, 
but  never  have  I  heard  the  human  voice  utter  such  sweet- 
ness and  melody  as  then  and  there  came  from  the  lips  of 
the  dusky  boatmen  of  the  Mississippi. 

We  placed  our  horses  in  a  livery  on  Third  street  and 
took  up  our  quarters  at  a  hotel  on  the  same  street,  the 
name  of  which  I  have  forgotten.  I  only  remember  it  was 
the  best  hotel  then  in  St.  Louis.  I  always  have  had  a 
weakness  that  way  when  traveling  to  patronize  the  best, 
which  I  have  always  found  cheapest  in  the  end.  Besides, 
if  one  puts  up  at  a  respectable  house,  he  has  the  advan- 
tage of  better  associations,  and  many  times,  especially  if 
he  is  a  stranger,  it  may  possibly  lead  him  in  the  way  of 
business,  if,  perchance,  he  maybe  a  second  Micawber,  wait- 
ing for  something  to  turn  up.  Our  first  necessity  incident 
to  the  great,  laborious  and  hazardous  enterprise  of  trav- 
ersing the  almost  unknown  interior  of  the  continent,  its 
vast  plains,  great  rivers,  and  dangerous  and  doubtful 
passes,  and  terrific  canons  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  was 
to  purchase  a  stock  of  provisions.  This  consisted  chiefly 
of  bacon,  flour,  hardtack,  tea,  coffee  and  sugar.  Two 
quarts  of  No.  6  extract  of  cayenne  pepper  was  deemed 
a  necessity,  as  was  also  a  gallon  of  the  best  brandy  pro- 


16  PASSAGE  TO  ST.  JOSEPH. 

curable.  Each  purchased  a  Colt's  revolver  with  ample 
accompaniments  for  the  special  benefit  of  the  Indians,  and 
which  we  afterwards  and  on  many  occasions,  found  to  be 
a  very  potent  and  influential  Indian  persuader. 

Our  next  business  was  to  look  for  a  steamer  bound  for 
St.  Joseph,  some  three  hundred  miles  up  the  Missouri  river. 
This  was  not  a  very  difficult  task,  as  there  were  many 
along  the  upper  levee  all  ready  to  start,  and  each  one 
offered  the  best  advantages,  and  each  was  represented  to 
arrive  there  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  I  may  here 
remark  that  these  river  steamers  had  each  its  own  par- 
ticular route  and  river  waters.  Those  which  ply  on  the 
Illinois  river  do  not  run  on  the  Mississippi,  only  to  St. 
Louis,  and  the  Missouri  steamers  come  down  only  to  the 
same  city,  and  the  great  cotton  and  sugar  transports  and 
passenger  boats  of  the  lower  Mississippi  do  not  ply  above 
the  same  point.  It  was  somewhat  difficult  to  decide  upon 
a  boat  among  so  many  and  all  holding  out  pleasant  in- 
ducements, but  we  finally  made  our  selection  and  paid  our 
passage — six  dollars  each — which  also  covered  the  trans- 
portation of  our  horses,  wagon,  provisions  and  provender. 
It  was  the  best  and  cheapest  contract  we  could  make,  as 
we  thought  then,  but  the  sequel  failed  to  confirm  our 
opinion. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

Steamer  "Orient"— Passengers  a  Hard  Lot— Thief  Knocked  Over- 
board—Complimented  by  the  Captain  — Independence  and  St. 
Joseph— Old  Fort  Kearney— First  Camp— Drowned  Out— Cross- 
ing the  Missouri  —  Salt  Creek,  Now  Lincoln,  Nebraska  —  A 
Santa  Fe  Post  Rider  —  Party  of  Pawnees — Deer  Shooting — A 
Man  with  a  Wheelbarrow. 

WE  were  now  treading  the  deck  of  the  Orient.  The 
charm  of  the  name  seemed  to  surpass  that  of  the 
Ocean  Wave,  but  when  we  got  fairly  under  way,  and  even 
before  we  entered  upon  the  long  stretch  of  the  Missouri, 
and  took  a  survey  of  our  numerous  companions  of  the 
voyage,  the  romance  and  poetr}r  suggested  by  the  names 
of  western  river  steamers  vanished.  I  have  traveled  some 
since,  but  never  have  I  fell  in  with  such  a  congregation  of 
self-conceited,  ignorant,  disagreeable  and  annoying  lot  of 
passengers  as  crowded  the  Orient.  I  do  not  believe  another 
such  lot  ever  got  together.  Others  have  related  to  me 
similar  experiences,  but  not  a  single  instance  could  hold  a 
candle  to  this  experience  of  my  own. 

I  have  always  observed,  when  thrown  among  people 
that  were  ignorant,  rough  and  mean,  that  they  were  jeal- 
ous of  those  whom  they  considered  better  informed  and 
better  behaved  and  who  were,  in  fact,  their  superiors.    Such 


18  THIEF   KNOCKED  OVERBOARD. 

will  form  cliques  among  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
sulting or  annoying  you.  It  is  on  their  part  an  uncon- 
scious acknowledgment  of  your  superiority.  Such  was  the 
class  of  passengers  we  had  on  board  the  steamer  Orient. 
To  begin  with,  they  were  the  worst  set  of  petty  thieves  I 
ever  knew.  They  very  early  set  to  work  to  rob  our  four 
Canadian  ponies  of  their  feed.  Our  bales  of  hay  dimin- 
ished rapidly  and  the  mangers  were  robbed.  At  last  I 
caught  one  of  them  taking  the  hay  from  the  ponies.  I 
remonstrated  with  him,  but  he  only  laughed  and  made  fun 
of  me.  The  others  gathered  around  and  jeered  and 
laughed,  told  me  to  go  home  to  my  mother.  I  was  told 
by  one  to  hold  my  tongue,  or  he  would  throw  me  over- 
board. My  young  blood  was  a  little  stirred  at  such  a 
threat,  and  I  challenged  him  to  try  it,  and  sure  enough  he 
collared  me.  He  did  not  think  of  throwing  me  over,  but 
only  to  frighten  me,  expecting  I  would  beg  off,  when  they 
would  have  the  laugh  on  me.  But  he  misjudged  the  Ohio 
boy.  We  clinched,  and  struggling  out  by  the  aft  gang- 
way, near  the  wheel,  it  being  a  side-wheeler,  I  gave  a  sud- 
den turn  and  loosed  myself  from  him,  and  at  the  same 
moment  planted  my  fist  full  and  fairly  in  his  face  with  such 
energy  as  my  then  unpracticed  fighting  muscle  admitted 
of,  and  he  fell  back  and  overboard.  I  confess  I  felt  a  little 
frightened,  but  the  water  was  not  more  than  three  feet 
deep,  and  when  I  saw  him  standing  on  his  feet  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  river,  my  equanimity  was  fully  restored.  The 
boat  stopped,  a  skiff  was  lowered,  and  the  man  was  soon 
picked  up  and  brought  aboard.  His  nose  was  bleeding  and 
he  was  crestfallen.     Knowing  that  such  a  class  of  men  are 


ftr> ;  i\  r  V'!'  W. ' 

tap 


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20  A  LITTLE  SWAGGER. 

invariably  cowards,  and  that  even  a  little  swagger  will 
command  their  respect,  I  therefore  notified  his  friends  who 
wished  to  take  a  bath  to  avail  themselves  of  my  services, 
then  and  there — adding  that  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for 
me  to  throw  a  man  or  two  overboard  every  morning,  to 
give  myself  an  appetite  for  breakfast.  When  the  captain 
learned  how  matters  stood,  he  told  them  if  any  more  of 
them  were  caught  stealing  and  got  thrown  overboard,  he 
would  not  stop  to  pick  them  up.  After  this  oration  from  the 
captain,  he,  turning  to  me,  said:  "Come  on,  youngster, 
with  me  and  take  a  drink."  I  did  not  taste  strong  drink 
in  those  da}'S,  but  I  thanked  the  captain  and  respectfully 
declined  his  proffered  civility.  All  this,  however,  had  its- 
influence.  The  ponies  were  no  more  robbed  of  their  prov- 
ender, and,  as  for  my  partners  and  myself,  we  were  treated 
with  civility  during  the  remainder  of  the  trip.  It  is  a 
lamentably  strange  peculiarity  of  mind  of  this  class  of  peo- 
ple that  they  will  respect  you  only  when  they  fear  you. 
Trust  them  and  deal  gently  and  kindly  with  them,  as  one 
man  should  with  another,  and  in  return  they  will  insult 
you,  annoy  you,  and  plunder  you. 

Our  progress  was  rather  slow,  as  the  current  of  the 
Missouri  changes  almost  daily,  and  it  is  impossible  for  a 
pilot  to  know  the  current  from  one  day  to  another,  and 
hence  we  were  obliged  to  tie  up  every  night.  Our  first 
stopping  place  for  the  discharge  of  passengers  was  at  In- 
dependence, where  the  worst  of  the  lot  were  let  off,  much 
to  our  comfort  and  relief.  On  our  arrival  at  St.  Joseph, 
we  bade  farewell  to  the  Orient  and  the  remainder  of  its 
uncompanionable  emigrants.    We  were  much  disappointed 


ST.   TOSEPH.  21 

at  the  appearance  of  this  then  famous  town.  It  was 
talked  about  almost  as  much  as  St.  Louis,  both  before  and 
after  we  were  on  our  way  to  it.  Our  ideas  of  its  size  and 
importance  had  been  greatly  exaggerated,  but  no  one 
could  tell  us  anything  definite  about  it  more  than  I  could 
tell  them,  which  was  just  nothing  at  all.  It  was,  however, 
important  in  the  sense  of  being  the  last  frontier  town  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri,  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  state.  Old  Fort  Kearney,  about  one  hundred  miles  up 
the  river,  and  on  its  west  bank,  was  the  only  name  then 
known  on  the  map.  All  the  great  interior  passed  under 
the  general  name  of  Nebraska.  The  great  states  and  ter- 
ritories now  familiar  to  us,  carved  from  that  vast  region 
between  the  upper  Missouri  and  the  Rocky  mountains, 
was  but  the  home  of  the  red  man  and  the  range  of  the 
buffalo.  Most  of  the  houses  of  St.  Joseph  were  but  little 
temporary  huts.  There  were  a  very  few  passably  good 
buildings.  The  population  would  not  exceed  seven  hun- 
dred. There  had  been  many  arrivals  before  us,  and  all 
were  waiting  for  the  grass  to  grow  before  launching  out 
upon  the  plains.  Many  did  not  attempt  the  journey  until 
the  first  of  May. 

Our  horses  having  been  on  board  the  Orient  for  several 
days,  were  as  pleased  as  ourselves  at  once  more  getting  on 
land,  and  were  not  long  in  showing  it,  for  one  of  them,  by 
some  carelessness,  got  away  and  started  out  on  his  own 
account  to  take  in  the  town.  The  other  three  seeing  him 
enjoying  such  unwonted  freedom,  became  suddenly  in- 
spired with  the  spirit  of  liberty  and  broke  loose.  St.  Jo, 
as  the  place  is  always  called,  for  short,  suddenly  advanced 


£9 


THE  PONIES  CELEBRATE.  23 

from  a  one-horse  town  to  a  four-horse  city.    The  four  Cana- 
dian ponies  created  more  excitement  than  the  town  had  ever 
before  been  wrought  up  to.     Every  man,  woman  and  child 
were  out  to  lend  a  hand  in  catching  them,  but  all  to  no 
purpose;  the  ponies  were  going  to  have  their  time  out — and 
they  did.    When  they  were  through,  all  four  deliberately 
walked  into  the  nearest  livery-stable  and  took  their  places 
in  vacant  stalls.    I  have  often  since  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  way  to  advertise  horses,  for  the  dealer  to  turn  his 
whole  stock  loose  in  town  and  let  them  show  themselves, 
for  certainly  no  frontier  town  ever  saw  a  grander  sight 
than  those  four  Canucks,  with  flowing  manes,  arched  necks 
and  expanded  nostrils,  taking  in  the  sights  and  enjoying 
the  freedom  of  the  infant  city  of  St.  Jo.    We  had  half  the 
town  at  the  stables  to  see  the  ponies.     The  offers  made  for 
them  wrere  without  number.     One  hundred  dollars  apiece, 
and  even  much  higher.    It  would  have  been  a  good  stroke 
of  business  if  we  had  sold  and  gone  back  to  Detroit  and 
bought  more,  as  they  cost  only  forty  dollars  a  head  there, 
and  fifteen  to  land  them  in  St.  Jo. 

After  getting  what  information  we  could  respecting 
routes  and  river  crossings,  and  making  a  few  purchases, 
we  concluded  to  pull  out,  and  the  next  day  started  up  the 
river  on  the  east  side,  for  Council  Bluffs,  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  distant.  Our  reasons  for  taking  this  more 
northern  route  instead  of  going  directly  west,  was  that 
there  wrere  some  settlements  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and 
we  could  obtain  hay  and  corn  of  the  farmers  much  cheaper 
than  at  St.  Jo.  We  needed  it  then,  as  grass  had  not  yet 
started ;  besides  the  distance  was  not  much,  if  any,  greater 


24  first  day's  land  journey. 

than  crossing  the  river  at  St.  Jo,  and  taking  the  Indian 
territory,  as  it  was  then  called. 

Our  first  day's  land  journey  was  uneventful,  but  favor- 
able, and  we  made  about  twenty-five  miles,  pitched  our 
tents  on  the  bottom  land  near  a  small  creek ;  fed  the  ponies ; 
cooked  our  supper ;  told  stories ;  talked  over  our  plans  for 
the  hundredth  time ;  made  our  bed  and  turned  in,  as  happy 
as  so  many  bugs  in  a  rug.  It  was  my  first  experience  of 
genuine  camping  out.  I  had  only  before  had  knowledge 
of  amateur  camping  out,  when  a  few  of  us  lads  would 
make  a  night  of  it  in  some  one  of  the  many  great  sugar 
camps  around  my  Ohio  home,  where  we  would  boil  sap, 
" sugar  off,"  and  sleep  but  little;  yet  how  much  of  happi- 
ness was  there,  and  real  fun,  for  otherwise  lonely  country 
boys. 

But  now  we  had  entered  upon  the  nightly  necessities  of 
camping  in  real  earnest,  and  we  were  prepared  to  enjoy  it 
after  our  day's  journey,  with  the  excitements  and  novelties 
of  our  new  life,  and  were  soon  asleep.  We  had  no  pre- 
monitory dreams  of  what  we  had  got  to  endure  before  our 
campings  should  become  a  history  and  a  memory.  About 
two  o'clock  we  were  awakened  by  water  coming  in  upon 
us  and  into  our  bed,  for  we  were  sleeping  on  the  ground. 
We  hastily  got  ourselves  out  of  our  blankets  and  found 
that  the  whole  flat  was  one  sheet  of  water,  and  still  rising. 
Dressing  as  soon  as  possible,  we  harnessed  the  ponies, 
hitched  them  to  the  wagon,  and  undertook  to  find  high 
ground.  But  this  was  more  easily  planned  than  executed. 
The  flat  was  wide,  the  night  was  dark,  and  just  as  we 
were  coming  to  high  ground  there  was  a  low  swale  at  the 


CAMP   FLOODED.  25 

foot  of  the  hill  with  still  deeper  water,   into  which  the 
ponies  plunged  and  were  soon  floundering  in  bogs  and 
mud.    All  was  dark  and  in  confusion,  it  rained  hard,  and 
all  four  of  us  were  in  the  deep  and  muddy  water,  trying  to 
loosen   and  extricate  the  floundering  ponies.     We  finally 
got  out  of  the  slough  with  the  ponies.     Morning  came  at 
last,  though  it  seemed  long  in  coming,  and  showed  us  a 
sad  and  crestfallen  party,  looking  out  over  a  dreary  waste 
of  water  where  we  had  camped  but  a  few  hours  before. 
"  This  is  awful,"  said  one;  "  I  wish  I  was  back  home  again." 
However,  we  soon  hitched  up  again  and  got  our  wagon 
out,  which  we  had  been  compelled  to  leave  in  the  slough,  and 
pulled  out  for  a  farm-house  which  we  saw  about  a  mile 
off,  and  where  we  got  a  good  warm  breakfast  and  plenty 
of  hot  coffee,  all  for  the  modest  sum  of  ten  cents  each. 
Here  we  spent  the  whole  forenoon  drying  our  clothes  and 
bedding,  when  we  again  set  out  rejoicing,  but  with  less 
exalted  notions  of  camping  on  creek  bottoms.    We  arrived 
on  the  fourth  day  at  a  little  town  called  Lebanon,  consist- 
ing of  a  grocery,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  hay-staek  and  one 
man,  who  was  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  whole  busi- 
ness.   There  were  about  a  dozen  people  there  patronizing 
the  grocery  and  drinking  its  bad  whiskey.    Here  we  met 
two  men,  who  told  us  they  were  camped  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Missouri,  waitingfor  a  few  more  to  join  them  before 
starting  out.    We  liked  the  appearance  of  the  men,  who 
said  their  party  consisted  of  twenty  persons,  and  our  party 
added  would  make  the  proper  complement,  and  urged  us 
to  join  them.    We  consented  to  join  them.    The  ferry-boat, 
they  said,  would  charge  us  twenty  dollars  for  crossing  with 


26  CROSSING   THE   MISSOURI. 

our  wagon  and  four  horses,  but  that  they  had  a  contract 
for  fifteen  dollars,  and  when  they  went  back  they  would 
tell  the  boatman  that  more  of  their  party  were  coming, 
and  to  be  ready  to  take  us  over  in  the  morning.  Some- 
times, they  said,  it  took  a  whole  day  to  cross,  and  much 
depended  on  the  wind,  for  if  it  blew  up  the  river  they  could 
not  cross  at  all,  but  must  wait  a  calm  or  reverse  wind. 
We  promised  if  the  wind  was  favorable  to  be  at  the  river 
the  next  morning. 

In  the  meantime,  we  concluded  we  wanted  another  horse, 
and  seeing  the  men  at  the  grocery  had  one  that  suited  us, 
we  asked  the  price.  One  hundred  dollars  was  the  sum 
asked.  We  offered  seventy-five  dollars,  which  they  de- 
clined. But  when  they  saw  we  were  going  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  purchasing  at  their  price,  their  horse-trading  ther- 
mometer dropped  rapidly  several  degrees,  and  until  it 
stood  at  seventy  dollars,  when  we  closed  the  bargain. 
The  horse  was  a  good  one,  and  rather  than  not  have  got 
him  we  should  have  given  the  sum  first  named.  But  I  was 
not  so  young  and  inexperienced  in  buying  and  selling  horses 
in  Ohio,  as  not  to  know  the  advantages  of  a  little  finesse 
in  such  negotiations.  We  then  bought  twenty-five  bushels 
of  corn  of  the  grocery  man,  and  loaded  up  ready  for  a 
start  the  next  morning.  When  morning  came,  the  wind 
blew  down  the  river,  and  that  settled  the  point.  The  wind 
was  our  weather-cock  for  once.  Arriving  at  the  river,  we 
found  everything  in  readiness  for  crossing,  and  the  men 
from  the  other  side  were  there  to  help  us  over.  We  crossed 
without  accident  or  delay,  and  went  directly  up  to  their 
camp,  where  we  met  as  fine  a  party  of  young  men  as  ever 


QUALITIES  OF  OUR   HORSES.  27 

got  together.  But,  poor  fellows,  little  did  they  know  wThat 
thev  had  got  to  encounter  or  endure  within  the  next  three 
months,  and  little  did  they  dream  that  in  nine  months 
every  one  of  them  would  sleep  the  long  sleep  that  knows 
no  waking. 

Our  new  camp  consisted  of  some  abandoned  log  huts, 
originally  built  during  the  Mexican  war,  and  was  called,  I 
think,  Old  Fort  Kearney.  There  was  a  dozen  or  more  of 
them,  and  our  original  party  took  up  its  quarters  in  one 
and  stabled  our  ponies  in  another.  Our  new  friends  had 
been  camping  there  about  a  week  before  our  arrival.  The 
following  morning  being  the  first  of  April,  we  broke 
camp  and  pulled  out  on  our  long  and  tedious  journey. 
We  were  all  very  heavily  loaded,  principally  with  horse 
feed.  Some  of  the  boys  had  two  wagons,  one  being  loaded 
with  corn.  We  expected  to  find  plenty  of  green  grass  be- 
fore a  wreek's  time,  but  in  that  we  were  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment, for  the  season  proved  to  be  much  later 
than  usual.  There  was  at  first  much  doubt  about  our 
little  Canadian  ponies  standing  the  journey,  with  the 
large  American  horses,  especially  such  fine  ones  as  the 
others  of  our  party  had,  for  I  think  they  were  the  finest 
lot  I  ever  saw.  They  had  all  been  selected  for  the  special 
purpose  of  crossing  the  plains.  Many  had  brought  them 
from  home  and  their  own  farm,  where  they  had  been  raised 
and  where  they  had  fed  and  groomed  them  preparatory  to 
this  great  journey.  They  looked  upon  our  ponies  as  poor 
little,  weak,  rural  scrubs,  in  comparison  to  theirs.  We  felt 
a  little  unhappy  that  they  should  depreciate  our  humble 
team,  but  we  had  to  put  up  with  it,  only  replying  that 


28  A   GOOD  STORY  TELLER. 

time  would  test  the  comparative  merits  of  the  stock.  And 
surely  it  did,  for  in  less  than  amonth  there  was  not  ahorse 
in  the  party  but  they  would  have  exchanged  for  the  poorest 
of  our  ponies.  The  American  horses  had  always  been 
stabled  and  groomed  and  had  plenty  of  the  best  hay  and 
grain,  while  ours  had  lived  a  rough  life,  and  never  knew 
stable  or  grain  until  we  got  them.  Since  then  wehad  taken 
the  best  of  care  of  them  and  had  given  them  all  the\r could 
eat,  so  they  had  started  on  the  journey  with  good  heart. 
A  quart  of  corn  a  day  to  ours  was  as  good  as  four  quarts 
to  theirs,  and  when  their  corn  was  exhausted  we  had  still 
a  good  supply,  although  they  had  twice  as  much  when  we 
started.  On  the  second  day  we  camped  on  Salt  creek, 
where  Lincoln,  the  capital  of  Nebraska,  now  stands. 

We  had  hardh'been  located  an  hour  when  the  camp  was 
thrown  into  a  state  of  excitement  by  the  approach  of  a 
solitary  horseman  leading  two  pack  mules.  He  proved  to 
be  the  mail  post-rider  from  Santa  Fe.  He  was  surprised 
on  finding  we  were  emigrants,  and  we  were  delighted  at 
meeting  the  lonely  government  official.  We  spent  theeven- 
ing  listening  to  his  relation  of  hair-breadth  escapes  and 
thrilling  experiences.  He  was  a  good  story-teller,  but 
whether  they  were  all  true,  or  largely  imaginary,  matters 
not  now,  but  we  believed  them  all  then.  He  warned  us  to 
keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  Indians.  The  Pawnees,  he  said, 
were  friendly  and  we  had  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  which 
we  found  to  be  true.  Our  visitor  had  not  been  gone  more 
than  two  hours,  when,  having  again  started,  a  band  of 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  were  seen  coming  down 
upon  us.    They  rode  up  within  about  two  hundred  yards 


A  CLASSICAL  INTERPRETER.  29 

of  us,  and  all  dismounted  in  front  of  us  and  made  signs 
for  us  to  stop.  We  obeyed  the  first  signal.  They  then 
beat  their  breasts  in  token  of  friendship,  and  advanced 
towards  us.  Most  of  our  party  had  never  before  seen 
an  Indian,  at  least  a  wild  one,  and  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  remark  that  they  did  not  wish  to  see  one  then.  I  had 
in  my  boyhood  been  some  months  among  the  Sacs  and 
Fox  tribe  when  they  were  in  Iowa,  and  knew  something 
of  their  habits,  ways  and  actions;  so  these  were  not  wholly 
strange  to  me.  They  came  up  to  us,  beating  their  breasts 
and  proffering  to  shake  hands  with  every  one,  and  seemed 
very  friendly.  Some  could  speak  a  little  English,  and  prob- 
ably all  of  them  could  speak  the  Sacs  and  Fox  tongue.  I 
had  once  learned  a  few  words  of  the  latter  language,  but 
it  had  now  nearly  faded  from  my  memory.  I  thought  of 
a  word  or  two  and  tossed  it  to  their  principal  spokesman. 
He  caught  it  and  made  demonstrations  of  delight  at  hav- 
ing met  a  white  man  who  could  speak  such  classical  In- 
dian. Hearing  them  talk  and  watching  their  gestures 
brought  back  to  memory  many  more  words  and  signs  of 
meaning,  and  I  soon  found  I  possessed  tolerable  facilities 
for  social  intercourse  with  the  wild  man.     The  Indians  for 

»that  reason  seemed  to  take  a  liking  to  me.  I  was  not 
a  little  surprised  myself  at  my  success,  as  I  was  the 
youngest  of  the  lot  and  the  boy  of  the  party.  I  was  now 
inspired  with  ambition  and  desired  to  impress  my  com- 
rades with  my  importance  as  an  interpreter  of  the  Indian 
language,  and  I  lost  no  opportunity  of  displaying  my  lin- 
guistic accomplishments.  My  dozen  Indian  words  were  a 
great  vocabulary  to  my  companions.    They  thought  me 


30  DINING  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 

a  professor  of  the  Fox  language,  and  never  discovered  how 
superficial  their  interpreter  was.  Henceforth  I  was  deemed 
an  important  member  of  our  party,  and  whenever  any 
more  Indians  came  down  upon  us,  I  was  drafted  to  go  to 
the  front. 

This  band  of  Indians  traveled  with  us  all  day  and  camped 
near  us  at  night.  The  boys  did  not  like  this,  and  I  did 
not  quite  fancy  it,  but  what  could  we  do?  We  did  not 
want  to  offend  them,  or  appear  to  doubt  their  friendly 
disposition  towards  us.  The  next  morning  the  chief  said 
to  me  that  there  was  plenty  of  deer  a  few  miles  ahead,  a 
little  off  the  line  of  our  route,  and  if  I  would  go  with  them 
they  would  take  me  to  the  place.  Some  thought  I  had 
better  not  go,  and  I  did  not  myself  particularly  care  about 
it,  but  when  I  saw  that  they  were  afraid,  that  settled  the 
point  with  me,  and  go  I  would  and  did.  We  started  out 
ahead  of  the  train  and  came  to  a  creek  where  we  dis- 
mounted and  lay  down.  We  had  not  been  there  more  than 
half  an  hour  before  seven  fine  deer  made  their  appearance. 
I  seized  my  gun  and  was  going  to  draw  a  bead  on  one  at 
considerable  distance,  but  they  told  me  to  wait  and  the 
deer  would  come  nearer  to  us  to  drink  at  the  creek,  which 
they  did,  when  I  pulled  the  trigger  and  a  fine  buck  fell.  I 
felt  I  was  growing  taller  rapidly.  By  the  time  the  train 
came  up  I  had  him  dressed  and  we  all  had  a  feast  of  veni- 
son. The  Indian  and  the  white  man  for  once,  at  least, 
dined  together,  and  the  interpreter  sat  at  the  head  of  the 
table.  The  confidence  of  my  companions  was  greatly  in- 
creased in  me  by  the  outcome  of  this  last  doubtful  enter- 
prise, and  they  congratulated  themselves  in  that  they  had 


INSTINCTS  OF  THE   HORSE.  31 

fallen  in  with  a  person  who  so  thoroughly  understood  the 
language  and  character  of  the  Indian.  At  the  -close  of  the 
banquet  we  parted  in  peace  and  friendship.  The  Indian 
character  had  now  become  somewhat  exalted  in  the  esti- 
mation of  our  party ;  they  did  not  believe  it  so  bad  as  had 
been  represented.  But  they  little  knew  what  was  yet  to 
come. 

It  may  be  of  interest,  as  an  illustration  of  the  wonderful 
instincts  of  the  horse,  bordering  so  closely  upon  reason  and 
intelligence  in  man,  that  our  little  Canucks,  as  they  were 
now  called  by  all,  were  very  much  frightened  at  the  sight 
of  our  late  indigenous  friends,  and  would  not  suffer  an 
Indian  to  come  near  them  by  night  or  day,  and  never 
throughout  our  long  journey  became  any  more  reconciled 
to  them  than  at  first — a  matter  that  proved  very  advan- 
tageous to  us  throughout  the  journey.  An  Indian  could 
not  come  within  a  mile  of  us  but  the  Canucks  would  make 
it  known  to  us ;  and  if  they  were  out  feeding  they  would 
make  for  camp,  and  would  not  be  driven  out  of  it.  No 
watch  dog  could  have  been  of  better  service  to  us  in  this 
regard. 

The  rest  of  the  journey  to  New  Ft.  Kearney  was  unevent- 
ful save  in  the  occasional  killing  of  a  deer  or  antelope,  or 
the  sight  of  a  straggling  buffalo,  which  would  set  the  boys 
wild  with  excitement,  but  they  deemed  it  prudent  not  to 
exhaust  their  horses  in  chasing  them,  they  not  being  at 
that  early  season  fit  to  eat ;  besides  the  post-rider  we  had 
lately  met  with  had  told  us  that  beyond  Ft.  Kearney 
we  would  see  them  in  droves  of  hundreds  and  thousands. 
This  we  thought  too  tough  a  story  for  belief,  though  we 


32  A  MAN   WITH  A  WHEELBARROW. 

credited  all  the  rest,  and  therein  we  were  not  unlike  the 
simple  and  credulous  mother,  in  one  of  Captain  Marr\^att's 
novels,  whose  boy  had  been  to  sea,  and  whose  stories  and 
adventures  had  become  her  daily  consolation  and  delight. 
He  told  her  he  had  seen  in  the  West  Indies  rivers  of  rum 
and  mountains  of  sugar.  This  was  to  her  a  pleasant  sur- 
prise, but  she  had  implicit  confidence  in  her  truthful  son, 
and  only  reflected  on  the  happiness  of  a  people  so  bounti- 
fully supplied  by  nature  with  the  necessaries  of  life.  But 
when  he  told  her  he  had  seen  fish  fly,  the  only  truth  he  had 
told  her,  she  thought  he  had  been  tempted  by  Satan ;  that 
certainly  was  a  fish  story.  Our  company  could  endorse  all 
other  tales  of  the  solitary  horseman  and  post-rider  but 
that  of  the  mighty  buffalo  herds. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  we  reached  Fort 
Kearney.  It  had  just  been  built,  or  rather,  it  was  then  in 
process  of  building.  One  object  of  the  government  was  a 
protection  and  shelter  for  emigrants,  another  a  station  for 
dragoons  that  patrolled  the  road  from  Fort  Laramie  to 
Santa  Fe.  We  found  by  this  time  that  our  horse-feed  was 
likely  to  run  out,  as  grass  had  not  yet  started,  but  the 
commissary  could  furnish  us  no  provender,  but  could  fur- 
nish enough  flour  for  ourselves  to  carry  us  to  Fort  Laramie, 
on  the  north  fork  of  the  Platte  river,  about  four  hundred 
miles.  Our  purchase  of  flour  was  to  the  extent  of  some 
fifty  pounds  to  a  man,  and  for  about  three  dollars  per  hun- 
dred pounds  cheaper  than  our  purchase  at  St.  Jo. 

The  morning  we  left  the  Missouri  river,  a  man  started 
out  with  a  wheelbarrow  to  cross  the  plains.  He  had  a 
bushel  of  parched  corn,  his  blankets,  and  nothing  else.    He 


sUh' 


c^- 


sH«i 


I  v-=r»  it)*--'-  N\5*  ^m->-i^  j  >v 


34  FORT   KEARNEY. 

wheeled  it  manfully  for  several  days,  but  the  speed  we  kept 
up  was  too  great  for  him,  and  he  gave  out.  We  took  him 
up  and  carried  him  on  to  Fort  Kearney,  where  the  govern- 
ment gave  him  employment  at  twenty-five  dollars  per 
month.  There  we  left  him,  and  I  have  never  heard  of  him 
since.  I  have  several  times  heard  of  a  man  crossing  the 
continent  with  a  wheelbarrow,  but  I  don't  believe  it  was 
ever  accomplished.  This  man,  I  am  sure,  could  have  per- 
formed the  feat  if  any  one  could.  He  had  all  the  advan- 
tages of  youth,  strength,  courage  and  will,  but  I  think  the 
enterprise  beyond  human  endurance.  There  are  so  many 
sand  dunes,  some  extending  for  many  miles,  so  many  rivers 
to  cross,  besides  deep  and  terrible  gorges  to  traverse,  and 
two  ranges  of  mighty  mountains  to  ascend  and  descend, 
that  it  seems  to  me  impossible.  Be  it  as  it  may,  this  man 
started — and  that  is  all  I  know  of  him  or  his  wheelbarrow. 


MONSTROUS  BUFFALO  HERDS.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

Junction  North  and  South  Platte  —  Snow-Storm  — Distress  and 
Suffering— Crossing  the  South  Platte— Ogalalla— Impressions 
of  the  Country  —  North  Platte  Crossing  —  Buffalo  Herds  — 
Game— Sioux— Trading— Ft.  Laramie  — Shooting  Wagons— Crows 
—Stealing,  a  Business  Transaction  — Pancake  Snatching— The 
Frying-Pan  Knock  Down. 

WE  left  Fort  Kearney  the  next  day  after  our  arrival 
there,  it  being  the  ninth  day  of  April,  having 
made  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  eight  days.  The 
buffaloes  were  daily  getting  more  plenty,  so  much  so  that 
we  were  several  times  compelled  to  stop  our  train  to  let 
a  herd  pass.  I  really  believe  I  have  seen  herds  five  miles 
long.  I  won't  make  it  any  longer  for  fear  I  may  be  thought 
trying  to  go  one  better  on  the  statement  of  the  Santa  Fe 
post-rider.  On  the  fourteenth,  when  we  were  near  the 
junction  of  the  North  and  South  Platte,  there  came  on  a 
snow-storm  in  the  night  of  about  a  foot  in  depth.  In  the 
morning  the  wind  rose,  strong,  fierce  and  cold — a  regular 
blizzard — which  continued  for  three  days.  The  snow 
covered  the  buffalo  chips  so  we  could  not  get  them  to  make 
afire,  and  if  we  could  have  got  them  they  were  so  saturated 
they  would  not  have  burned. 

We  formed  a  corral  with  the  wagons  by  hauling  them  as 


36  SNOW-STORM  AND  SUFFERING. 

close  together  as  possible,  running  the  pole  of  the  hind 
wagon  under  the  forward  one,  and  so  on,  and  then  huddled 
the  horses  inside  as  close  as  they  could  stand.  Our  corn 
was  grettino:  low  and  we  had  to  use  our  flour  mixed  with 

©  CD 

corn.  We  could  do  without  flour  ourselves,  for  we  could 
get  plenty  of  meat  of  all  kinds ;  so  we  fed  the  flour  to  the 
horses,  without  any  fear  for  ourselves.  We  burnt  three 
wagons  to  keep  from  perishing.  Never  in  my  experience 
did  I  pass  three  such  terrible  days,  and  I  hope  never  to  be 
called  to  endure  the  like  again.  The  fourth  day  came  off 
pleasant,  but  the  snow  had  drifted  so  that  traveling  was 
almost  impossible.  As  the  sun  shone  bright,  we  were 
bound  to  leave  the  place  where  we  had  suffered  so  much. 
The  bright  sunshine  on  the  snow  blinded  our  eyes  and 
blistered  our  faces.  Some  may  doubt  about  our  faces  be- 
ing blistered  by  the  snow,  but  it  is  a  fact,  nevertheless. 
Our  progress  was  very  slow  through  the  snow-drifts,  and 
we  camped  early  in  the  day  near  an  island  in  the  South 
Platte,  where  there  was  an  abundance  of  wood,  made  a 
good  fire  and  cooked  a  warm  meal,  which  we  had  not  had 
for  four  days,  and  felt  better.  It  was  getting  late  in  the 
season,  especially  for  such  a  storm  ;  but  now  the  sun  shone 
clearly  and  warm,  the  snow  was  fast  disappearing,  and 
what  was  better  still,  our  hopes  of  green  grass  soon  start- 
ing, put  us  all  once  more  in  cheerful  spirits.  We  had  some 
fears  about  being  able  to  cross  the  two  rivers,  South  and 
North  Platte,  and  knowing  we  were  close  approaching  the 
first,  it  was  thought  best  that  some  of  the  party  should  go 
ahead  and  select  a  crossing  place.  I  was  one  of  three  se- 
lected to  go  on  this  service,  on  account  of  my  supposed 


FRIENDLY  SERVICES  OF  PAWNEES.  37 

influence  with  all  Indian  tribes  we  might  meet  with,  hav- 
ing already  had  some  success  with  the  Pawnees.  When 
we  were  about  twenty-five  miles  in  advance  of  the  train, 
we  fell  in  with  a  small  band  of  Pawnees,  for  we  were  not 
yet  out  of  their  territory.  We  were  surprised  to  find  that 
they  knew  of  our  coming  and  were  on  the  lookout  for  us. 
They  told  us  the  regular  crossing  was  about  twenty  miles 
from  there,  up  the  river,  but  that  as  the  river  was  rising 
rapidly  it  would  be  too  high  by  the  time  the  train  would 
arrive  there;  so  they  took  us  back  about  six  miles  and 
showed  us  a  crossing  which  they  said  was  better  than  the 
one  above.  They  took  us  across  and  showed  us  how  we 
must  take  advantage  of  the  sand  bars.  They  were  friendly, 
and  of  great  service  to  us.  They  warned  us  to  beware  of 
the  Sioux,  as  they  were  very  mean  and  would  lie  and  steal. 
We  found  afterwards  that  they  had  told  us  the  truth, 
in  the  latter  respect  certainly,  for  a  bigger  set  of  thieves  no 
one  ever  fell  in  with.  They  told  us  never  to  attempt  to  go 
straight  across  a  stream,  but  to  strike  a  current,  and  fol- 
low it  up  or  down  until  we  struck  another,  and  follow  it 
up  or  down,  and  so  on  until  we  reached  the  opposite  bank. 
They  took  us  across  and  showed  us  how  to  do  it.  For  this 
service  we  gave  them  sugar,  which  they  were  highly  pleased 
with.  Their  time  seemed  to  be  of  no  object  to  them,  and 
so  they  staid  with  us  that  night,  a  thing  which  we  did 
not  much  admire,  although  they  had  not  shown  any  tend- 
ency to  steal;  yet  we  had  not  the  most  implicit  faith  in 
their  honesty,  and  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  them.  The 
next  day  the  train  came  up,  and  we  set  about  crossing 
the  stream.      The  river  was,   at  this  point,  we  judged, 


38  CROSSING  THE  SOUTH  PLATTE. 

over  half  a  mile  wide,  but  the  course  of  the  different 
currents  we  had  to  follow  up  and  down  made  the 
journey  from  side  to  side  nearly  two  miles.  This  had  to 
be  done  with  four  and  six  horses,  and  a  man  to  each  wheel. 
Sometimes  all  the  horses  would  break  through  the  crust 
of  sand,  formed  by  the  pressure  of  the  current  running 
over  it,  and  all  would  go  down  as  soon  as  they  began  to 
plunge,  and  our  only  way  was  to  unhitch,  draw  them  down 
on  to  another  hard  crust  in  the  current  below,  and  all 
hands  man  the  wagons  and  drag  them  out.  Sometimes 
the  wagons  would  be  left  standing  so  long  the  water  would 
wash  the  crust  away  from  the  wheels  and  down  they  would 
go,  and  we  would  have  to  unload  and  carry  everything  to 
a  sand  bar,  then  take  the  wheels  off  and  float  the  box  down, 
put  the  vehicle  together  again,  load  up,  and  make  another 
start,  only  to  meet  with  a  similar  mishap.  The  only  way 
was  when  once  started  to  keep  moving  as  long  as  possible. 
Everyman  of  us  was  in  the  water  from  morning  till  night, 
and  must  have  traveled  in  the  three  days  of  crossing,  ten 
miles  in  water  up  to  his  waist,  for  nearly  every  team  re- 
quired the  whole  force  in  its  transit.  But  everything  has 
an  end,  and  so  did  the  crossing  of  the  South  Platte  river. 
After  a  tedious  labor  of  just  three  days,  we  camped  out  in 
the  Ogalalla,  about  five  hundred  yards  from  the  river,  to 
avoid  musquitoes,  which  were  terribly  annoying  nights  and 
mornings,  which  one  would  hardly  believe  possible  only 
five  days  after  a  severe  snow-storm.  Nevertheless,  it  was 
so.  The  weather  had  come  off  warm,  and  we  had  now 
high  hopes  of  grass,  as  it  had  already  begun  to  sprout. 
I  have  often  been  asked  if  the  country  along  the  Platte 


QUALITY  OF  SOIL  AND  OGALALLA.  39 

produced  grass  at  that  time.  I  do  not  think  it  did  so 
much  as  now.  There  was  plenty  of  dry  last  year's  grass 
when  we  came  along,  showing  that  the  year  before  there 
had  been  a  good  growth.  The  impression  that  for  a  time 
prevailed  that  that  region  of  country  produced  but  little 
or  none,  resulted  from  the  enormous  amount  of  emigra- 
tion that  followed  us,  which  kept  the  grass  cut  down  so 
close  that  the  land  was  thought  to  be  barren.  Almost 
every  one  at  that  time  was  unfavorably  impressed  with 
that  region  of  country,  and  I  thought  then,  if  the  govern- 
ment would  offer  me  a  patent  of  all  the  land  we  traversed 
between  Fort  Kearney  and  Fort  Laramie,  I  would  not 
accept  it ;  yet  hundreds  of  miles  of  the  same  land  has  since 
proved  to  be  of  the  very  best  quality  for  both  grazing  and 
agriculture.  The  fact  that  the  region  abounded  with  buf- 
falo at  the  time  we  passed,  was  proof  that  it  was  a  good 
range  for  mighty  herds,  and  the  game  we  killed  was  very 
fat ;  besides,  the  Indians  were  there  with  plenty  of  horses, 
all  of  which  looked  well  for  that  season  of  the  year.  Why 
should  not  grass  have  grown  then  as  well  as  now  (1887), 
for  the  country  along  the  North  and  South  Platte  is  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  ? 

The  very  place  where  we  crossed  the  South  Platte  boasts 
of  a  town,  only  three  years  old,  Ogalalla,  the  county- 
seat  of  Keith  county,  western  Nebraska,  bordering  upon 
the  northeast  corner  of  Colorado.  Its  population  exceeds 
a  thousand.  It  has  two  banks,  three  hotels,  three  dry 
goods  stores,  groceries,  furniture  houses,  a  seventy  barrel 
flour  mill,  and  restaurants  too  numerous  to  mention. 
The  population  of  the  county  is  over  four  thousand,  and 


40  CROSSING  THE  NORTH  PLATTE. 

the  country  for  miles  around  is  equal  to  any  in  the  east. 
So  one  can  see  that  the  opinion  of  many  early  emigrants 
was  incorrect  touching  the  value  of  the  land. 

Ogalalla  is  the  westernmost  station  but  one  on  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad  in  Nebraska,  and  here,  near  the 
scene  of  his  first  sad  experience  in  crossing  the  continent, 
after  thirty-five  years  of  varied  fortunes  by  land  and  sea, 
the  narrator  has  pitched  his  tent  for  life  among  a  generous, 
industrious  and  enterprising  people,  where,  even  but  a 
few  short  years  since,  there  was  but  the  trail  of  the  buf- 
falo, the  Indian  and  the  gold  hunter,  and  calls  the 
goodly  town  his  home. 

And  now,  after  this  digression,  I. return  to  the  more 
serious  business  of  our  journey.  From  the  South  Platte 
where  we  crossed  to  the  North  Platte  is  about  seven  miles, 
but  we  took  a  western  course  and  did  not  strike  the  lat- 
ter river  until  we  had  traveled  about  fourteen  miles,  and 
continued  on  some  distance  to  a  point  laid  down  on  the  late 
maps  as  Ash  Hollow,  on  account  of  some  small  ash  trees 
growing  in  the  ravines  near  the  place  of  crossing.  We 
tried  it  by  sending  over  some  of  the  men  on  horseback, 
who  reported  favorably.  We  camped  there  on  the  south 
bank  that  night  and  made  an  early  start  in  the  morning, 
sending  over  our  wagons  with  boxes  or  beds  all  made 
water  tight,  and  fastened  down  to  the  running  gear,  and 
two  strong  cords  fore  and  aft,  with  four  men  holding 
the  ropes  from  the  upper  side  of  the  stream.  This  we 
found  answered  well,  and  soon  we  had  two  teams  cross- 
ing over  at  the  same  time,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
had  them  all  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  without  a 


GOOD  SPIRITS— LAYING  PLANS.  41 

single  accident,   and  so  the  stream  which  we  had  most 
dreaded  proved  the  one  that  gave  us  the  least  trouble. 

We  were  now  in  high  spirits,  thinking  we  were  over  the 
worst  of  it.  It  is  best,  perhaps,  that  nature  has  ordained 
the  future  to  be  closely  veiled  from  the  human  mind.  True 
we  had  met  thus  far  none  but  friendly  Indians — we  did  not 
want  to.  We  were  like  the  man  who  was  asked  to  go  out 
in  advance  as  a  scout  in  search  of  Indians  that  had  been 
committing  some  depredations.  "  No,"  said  he,/' I  have  lost 
no  Indians,  and  I  don't  want  to  find  any."  We  had  not 
come  out  into  that  wilderness  in  search  of  the  red  man, 
although  we  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  him.  Not  a  night 
passed  but  we  stationed  two  men  on  sentry,  relieving 
them  at  twelve  o'clock  and  putting  on  two  more  till  morn- 
ing. The  weather  was  getting  warm,  but  the  grass  did 
not  seem  to  grow.  There  was,  however,  an  abundance  of 
old  grass,  which  seemed  to  be  much  better  than  on  the 
South  Platte.  Our  corn  and  flour  were  nearly  exhausted, 
and  we  had  used  none  of  the  latter  ourselves.  We  had 
hopes  of  buying  some  at  Laramie,  and  were  bound  to  make 
all  speed  for  that  place.  We  were  now  twenty-three  days 
out  and  had  made  over  five  hundred  miles,  notwithstand- 
ing hindrances  by  storm  and  the  crossing  of  two  rivers, 
and  had  advanced  about  two  hundred  miles  from  where 
we  crossed.  At  night,  around  our  fires,  our  experiences 
were  rehearsed  and  our  plans  laid  for  the  next  day.  We 
had  plenty  of  meat,  and  if  we  were  out,  all  one  had  to  do 
was  to  go  outside  the  camp  a  short  distance  and  kill  as 
many  antelopes  as  he  wanted;  and  as  for  buffalo,  thev 
were  a  troublesome  nuisance,  often  stopping  the  train  till 


42  FRIENDLY  SIOUX— ARRIVE  AT  FORT  LARAMIE. 

the  herd  passed.  We  could  shoot  into  a  herd  when  pass- 
ing and  drop  a  young  heifer  or  two,  dress  them,  take 
what  we  wanted,  and  leave  the  rest  to  spoil — spoil,  that 
was  almost  impossible.  Meat  would  keep  for  weeks,  even 
in  hot  weather.  A  hard  shell  would  form  over  the  outside 
and  keep  the  inside  fresh  and  sweet  for  an  incredible 
length  of  time. 

We  were  now  traveling  over  thirty  miles  a  day,  on  an 
average,  towards  Laramie.  The  roads  were  good,  no  rivers 
to  cross,  and  nothing  to  detain.  It  was  too  late  in  the 
season  to  expect  any  more  storms,  especially  such  as  we 
had  experienced ;  the  land  was  rolling  and  not  mountain- 
ous. We  met  with  but  one  band  of  Indians,  Sioux,  about 
twenty  in  number.  They  rode  around  us  and  finally  dis- 
mounted, and  one  of  them  exhibited  a  paper  and  offered  it 
to  us  to  read.  The  document  had  been  written  by  some 
white  man,  stating  that  they  were  friendly  disposed. 
They  wished  to  traffic  with  us.  We  swapped  some  old 
under  garments,  now  useless  to  us  but  prized  by  them,  for 
moccasins  and  trinkets  alike  useless  to  us.  They  were 
pleased  with  their  good  bargain,  and  rode  along  with  us 
for  a  few  miles  when  they  left  us,  beating  their  breasts  in 
token  of  friendship.  WTe  arrived  at  Fort  Laramie  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  April,  having  made  a  journey  of  a  little 
over  seven  hundred  miles  in  twentv-nine  davs. 

This  interior  fort  was  built  the  year  before  for  the  pro- 
tection of  emigrants  and  the  convenience  of  the  dragoons 
that  patrol  the  road  between  Fort  Hall,  in  Oregon,  and 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  as  we  were  told  by  the  officer 
in  command.    It  was  built  on  a  vast  plain  in  the  midst  of 


CACTUS  TREES  AND    "  SHOOTING- WAGONS."  43 

thousands  of  acres  of  cactuses,  growing  so  rank  and  thick 
that  it  was  impossible  of  approach  except  by  the  road. 
Thus  it  was  in  no  danger  of  being  surrounded  and  sur- 
prised by  Indians,  for  they  could  only  gain  access  by  the 
road,  where  a  single  charge  of  grape  or  canister  would  cut 
a  wide  swath  in  their  ranks.  The  fort  possessed  two  can- 
non of  ample  calibre,  on  wheels,  which  were  a  curiosity  to 
many  interior  Indians  who  visited  the  fort  They  looked 
into  the  muzzle  and  walked  around  it,  treading  lightly, 
but  when  it  was  suddenly  and  to  them  unexpectedly  dis- 
charged, they  ran  for  their  lives,  and  did  not  return  for  a 
long  time,  and  when  they  did,  they  approached  cautiously, 
and  asked  if  the  "  shooting- wagons  "  were  loaded.  When 
told  they  were,  the  Indians  left,  saying,  "  Shooting-wagons 
no  good." 

The  soldiers  told  us  some  pretty  tough  yarns  about  their 
encounters  with  the  Sioux  and  the  Crows— some  were  true 
and  others,  perhaps,  doubtful— but  we  took  them  all  in. 
They  had  the  effect,  at  least,  to  make  us  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out, to  be  on  our  guard,  and  in  that  respect  they  were 
harmless,  if  otherwise  we  did  not  receive  them  in  the  ut- 
most faith.  As  we  were  out  of  flour,  the  commissary  told 
us  we  could  have  it  at  cost  to  the  government,  including 
the  freightage,  which  was  sixteen  dollars  the  hundred 
pounds.  We  were  willing  to  pay  that  price,  but  wrere  dis- 
appointed when  he  would  let  us  have  but  fifty  pounds  per 
man.  We  worked  him  a  little.  One  party  would  go  and 
get  two  hundred  pounds  for  his  party,  then  the  same  party 
would  send  another  man  and  get  the  same  amount,  but 
soon  he  discovered  our  scheme  and  dropped   on  it,  and 


44    NEWS  BY  THE  CROWS— THE  COLONEL'S  HORSE. 

would  not  let  us  have  any  more  unless  all  hands  in  the 
party  came  together.  We  could  not  ring  in  on  him  the 
second  time,  but  he  took  it  all  in  good  part,  however.  We 
remained  there  and  rested  our  teams  for  two  days.  We 
left  there  on  the  second  day  of  May,  just  about  the  time 
we  should  have  left  the  Missouri  river.  Before  we  started, 
news  came  in  from  the  Black  Hills,  brought  by  the  Crows. 
Little  and  unimportant  news  is  wonderfully  refreshing  to 
those  who  have  been  shut  up  in  the  interior  of  the  conti- 
nent for  a  month,  and  there  is  no  end  to  the  number  of 
simple  questions  we  all  asked  the  gentlemanly  Crows,  and 
I  have  since  wondered  they  did  not  get  impatient  with  us ; 
but  they  seemed  to  like  it,  and  regarded  themselves  as  of 
great  importance  in  consequence. 

While  we  were  at  Laramie,  we  learned  that  a  few  days 
before  our  arrival  a  soldier  had  stolen  the  colonel's  horse 
and  struck  out  for  California.  It  was  a  valuable  one, 
worth  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  We 
thought  strange  the  colonel  did  not  have  him  pursued,  but 
he  said,  "Let  him  go,  it  won't  be  long  before  he  will  be 
back."  When  we  had  camped,  on  the  evening  of  the  sec- 
ond day  out  from  Laramie,  we  saw  at  some  distance  a 
solitary  horseman,  coming  on  a  little  diminutive  brute  of 
a  horse.  We  watched  him  for  some  time,  totally  befogged 
as  to  who  or  what  he  was.  He  didn't  look  like  an  Indian, 
although  he  had  a  buffalo  robe  around  him.  The  mystery 
was  solved  when  he  rode  up  and  got  off— it  was  a  white  man. 
Except  the  buffalo  robe,  he  was  as  naked  as  he  was  born. 
He  proved  to  be  the  soldier  that  had  stolen  the  colonel's 
horse.    He  had  rode  him,  he  said,  about  a  hundred  miles 


A  BUSINESS  TRANSACTION.  45 

the  first  twenty-four  hours,  and  tied  up  for  a  few  hours  to 
give  him  a  rest,  and  again  started  and  rode  him  until  the 
next  night,  when  a  band  of  Crows  came  down  on  him  and 
took  his  provisions,  every  stitch  of  his  clothing,  and  his 
horse,  saddle  and  bridle,  gave  him  the  buffalo  rug,  some 
jerked  buffalo  meat  and  the  poorest  pony  they  had,  and 
told  him  to  go  back.  This  with  the  Crows  is  not  deemed 
robbing  or  stealing,  but  a  pure  business  transaction,  not 
unlike,  though  in  a  humbler  degree,  a  modern  Wall  street 
operation,  though  in  the  latter  instance,  the  winning  party 
rarely  contributes  even  a  blanket  to  cover  the  nakedness 
of  the  party  fleeced.  The  Crows  call  it  swapping.  They 
say  the  Sioux  are  mean  and  will  steal — but  Crows,  "they 
good  Indian,  they  swap."  When  they  swap,  they  are 
pretty  sure  to  get  the  best  of  the  bargain,  especially  when 
they  have  an  opportunity'  to  corner  the  market,  as  they  did 
when  they  dealt  with  the  Laramie  soldier. 

We  fell  in  with  several  parties  of  Sioux,  and  found  they 
had  not  been  misrepresented  touching  their  pilfering  qual- 
ities— in  fact,  they  would  rob.  They  would  rush  and 
snatch  the  food  we  were  cooking,  and  if  one  would  allow 
them,  they  were  what  is  called  awful  bouncers,  if  they 
thought  one  was  the  least  afraid  of  them.  One  of  them 
tried  his  little  game  on  me,  but  it  did  not  pan  out  as  he 
had  expected.  I  was  cooking  some  pan-cakes  in  a  frying- 
pan.  He  came  up  to  me,  saying  in  a  bouncing  and  swag- 
gering way,  "Give me."  I  shook  my  head, and  said  "No." 
"Yes,  "said  he,  and  grabbed  at  those  on  the  tin  plate — they 
fell  to  the  ground.  Ashe  stooped  to  pick  them  up,  I  struck 
him  over  the  head  with  the  hot  frying-pan  and  knocked' 


46  THE   PANCAKE  WAR. 

him  sprawling,  the  grease  in  the  pan  Hying  all  over  his 
head  and  face.  He  got  up  and  went  off,  shaking  his  head 
in  burning  pain  and  muttering  terrible  anathemas  on  me, 
I  suppose — certainly  they  were  not  prayers  or  blessings,  as 
I  judged  from  the  expression  of  his  countenance.  It  was 
all  the  same  to  me,  however.  Whether  curses  or  prayers, 
I  never  felt  damage  or  benefit  from  them.  The  boys  were 
afraid  that  my  rash  act  would  call  down  the  vengeance  of 
the  whole  tribe,  but  instead  of  that  the  others  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  joke,  for  they  laughed  at  him,  and  he  appeared 
to  be  ashamed.  He  did  not,  however,  attempt  to  help  him- 
self to  any  more  pancakes. 


GAME  ABUNDANT.  47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Black  Hills— Antelope  and  Elk— Canadian  Fur  Trappers— Court- 
house Rock  —  Chimney  Rock  —  Hostile  Crows  —  Strange  Man- 
ceuyeks — Our  Scotchman's  Sudden  Sickness — An  Indian  Prisoner 
of  War  —  His  Surrender  Negotiated  —  The  Pipe  of  Peace  — 
George,  the  "Squaw"—  Trading  —  Empty  Jug  Discovered  — 
Whiskey  Legal  Tender— Independence  Rock. 

WE  were  now  getting  among  the  Black  Hills,  a  long 
range  of  bold  mountains,  now  and  then  sending 
down  small  streams.  The  hills  were  of  a  slippery  or 
soapy  nature,  and  the  wagons  would  slip  and  slide,  par- 
ticularly if  the  road  was  the  least  sidling.  In  many  places 
it  required  the  greatest  care,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
let  the  wagons  down  with  ropes  fastened  to  the  upper 
side,  all  hands  manning  the  ropes,  and  getting  them  over 
one  at  a  time,  making  pretty  laborious  work.  The  hills 
were  literally  swarming  with  deer,  antelope  and  elk,  the 
latter  the  first  we  had  seen.  The  game  did  not  seem  to  be 
afraid,  especially  the  antelope.  I  went  out  one  morning, 
not  more  than  four  hundred  yards  from  camp,  and  shot 
seven,  all  within  fifty  yards  of  the  place  where  I  shot  the 
first  one.  The  deer  were  of  the  black-tailed  kind,  and  not 
so  large  as  our  eastern  deer.  There  were  also  some 
mountain  goats,  but  they  were  very  shy  and  kept  beyond 


48  A   PARTY  OF  TRAPPERS. 

shooting  distance.  They  seemed  to  recognize  the  rule  my 
father  inculcated  when  I  was  a  child  and  got  in  his  way, 
when  he  would  say,  "Stand  back,  you  can  see  just  as 
well." 

At  a  place  then  called  La  Bont  creek,  the  multitude  of 
game  surpassed  all  I  had  ever  yet  seen.  Here  we  fell  in 
with  a  party  of  Canadian  French  trappers  and  fur  dealers. 
They  had  four  wagons  loaded  with  bales  of  fur,  bound 
for  St.  Jo.  A  few  could  speak  very  indifferent  English, 
but  the  larger  number  only  French.  They  said  they  had 
been  from  the  frontier  twelve  months,  and  that  for  the 
last  six  months  had  lived  solely  on  jerked  buffalo  meat 
and  coffee,  never  in  the  time  having  even  seen  bread  or 
flour.  Jerked  meat  is  cut  in  long  slips,  about  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  thick,  and  dried  over  a  slow  fire,  or  hung  in  the 
sun  four  or  five  days,  when  it  is  put  away  for  use.  It  is 
boiled  as  meat,  or  used  dry  in  place  of  bread.  It 
is  very  good  for  a  hungry  man,  and  tastes  fairly 
good,  but  it  will  never  become  popular  as  a  dainty 
dish  among  the  epicures  of  Delmonico's.  In  1865, 
sixteen  years  afterwards,  I  met  one  of  the  same  party, 
Canadian  Jo,  as  we  called  him,  in  Australia.  He  knew 
me  and  told  me  where  he  had  seen  me.  I  noticed  his 
English  had  not  much  improved  in  all  that  length  of  time. 
Coincidences  in  life  are  often  many  and  sometimes  quite 
surprising,  and  such  I  deem  this  one. 

We  now  came  to  a  place  called  Court-House  Rock.  The 
rock,  however,  stood  about  seven  miles  off  our  line  of 
travel,  but  a  conspicuous  object.  Some  of  the  party  got 
badly  sold  in  starting  on  foot  to  inspect  it,  thinking  it 


COURT-HOUSE  AND  CHIMNEY  ROCKS.  49 

only  about  a  mile  distant,  but  after  walking  an  hour  and 
finding  it  still  apparently  as  far  off  as  when  they  started, 
gave  it  up,  while  others  on  horseback  reached  it.  It  is  a 
high  rock  in  the  middle  of  a  great  plain,  apparently  on 
an  artificial  mound,  the  earth  gradually  sloping  from  it 
on  every  side,  and  it  has  the  appearance  from  the  road, 
where  we  first  saw  it,  of  a  mammoth  court-house,  but 
when  approached,  they  said,  it  bore  no  such  resemblance. 
From  base  to  summit  it  is  four  hundred  feet.  Chimney 
Rock  is  something  over  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  and  has  the  appearance  at  a  distance  of  an  old, 
dilapidated  chimney.  I  went  to  see  that  and  climbed  to 
the  top.  When  at  the  top,  and  as  the  sun  was  about  to 
drop  below  the  horizon,  I  could  see  our  camp  many  miles 
distant  in  the  plain,  the  men  cooking  supper,  the  horses 
grazing,  and  what  was  most  strange  to  my  vision,  the 
men  looked  like  toddling  children  and  the  horses  not  more 
than  a  foot  high;  yet  all  could  be  seen  as  plain  and  distinct 
as  if  they  had  been  within  two  hundred  yards,  while  in 
fact  they  were  seven  or  eight  miles  away,  for  it  took  me 
over  two  hours  rapid  walking  to  reach  camp. 

The  day  after  visiting  Chimney  Rock,  about  ten  in  the 
morning,  we  were  surprised  by  a  band  of  Crow  Indians, 
who  came  riding  down  from  the  northern  hills  at  full 
speed.  There  must  have  been  seventy-five  or  eighty  of  them. 
They  came  within  about  four  hundred  yards  of  us ;  then 

I  suddenly  wheeled  their  horses  and  rode  around  us  two  or 
three  times,  at  the  same  time  going  through  many  of 
their  warlike  motions,  drawing  their  bows  as  if  to  send 
--— - 


50  SUDDEN  SICKNESS. 

as  if  they  were  going  straight  through  us,  then  suddenly 
turn  and  ride  back,  turning  in  their  saddles  and  feigning 
to  shoot,  and  finally  return  to  their  party,  which  had  been 
watching  their  movements  with  apparently  as  much  in- 
terest as  we  had  been,  which  was  not  a  little.  We  expected 
an  attack  and  closed  up  our  teams  as  close  as  possible, 
but  still  kept  on  the  move.  The  men  all  examined  their 
rifles  and  pistols.  It  was  my  turn  to  drive  that  day.  We 
had  a  Scotchman  in  our  mess,  who  just  then  came  to  me 
holding  his  head  with  both  hands.  "0,  Charlie,"  said  he, 
"I  am  so  sick."  "  Are  you,"  said  I,  "  then  get  up  here  and 
drive."  I  was  as  glad  to  get  down  as  he  was  to  get  up, 
as  I  knew  that  if  the  train  was  attacked  the  driver  would 
be  picked  off  first.  I  had  not  been  down  five  minutes 
before  I  saw  our  train  apparently  without  a  driver.  I 
ran  around  thinking  George  was  really  sick  and  had  keeled 
over,  but  found  he  had  made  a  hole  among  the  bags  and 
boxes  just  big  enough  to  crawl  into,  leaving  his  head  only 
just  high  enough  to  see  the  horses.  Frightened  as  I  was 
myself,  I  could  not  help  but  laugh.  I  knew  he  was  a 
consummate  coward,  but  I  had  given  him  credit  for  too 
much  pride  to  let  it  be  known. 

The  Indians  had  now  been  at  least  half  an  hour  going 
through  their  performances,  only  stopping  to  let  their 
horses  blow,  and  then  start  afresh,  we  still  moving  on. 
At  last,  one  more  daring  than  the  rest  came  down  on  us 
and  went  through  a  like  performance,  wheeling  and  pre- 
tending to  shoot.  There  was  a  young  fellow  in  our  com- 
pany named  James  Pierson,  a  daring  spirit  as  ever  lived, 
and  as  good  a  fellow  as  he  was  fearless,   who  had  a 


A  PRISONER   OF  WAR.  51 

splendid  riding  horse,  three-quarters  bred,  that  could  run 
like  a  deer,  for  which  my  pony  was  no  match.    But  I  went 
to  Jim  and  said, ' '  If  that  redskin  tries  that  game  again,  and 
you  will  cut  him  off  from  the  rest,  I  will  ride  in  and  down 
him."  "All  right,"  said  Jim.  Presently  down  came  the  brave 
again,  this  time  a  little  nearer.     "  Come  on,  Charlie,"  said 
Jim,  and  away  we  went.    I  heard  our  boys  calling  to  us 
to  come  back,  George's  voice  above  the  rest.    He  had  got 
over  the  headache.    The  Indian  saw  us  coming  and  tried 
his  best  to  reach  his  party,  but  Jim's  horse  was  too  fleet 
for  the  Indian's  pony,  and  headed  him  off.   He  turned  only 
■to  meet  me,  with  my  pistol  on  him,  within  a  hundred  feet. 
He  dropped  his  bow,  pulled  in  his  horse  and  began  beating 
his  breast.    With  our  prisoner  between  us  we  rode  proudly 
into  camp.    When  the  other  Indians  saw  we  had  the  man, 
they  got  off  their  horses  and  down  upon  their  knees,  beat 
their  breasts  and  made  signs  for  us  to  come  up  to  them. 
We  stopped  the  train  and  went  out  to  meet  them.    They 
professed  friendship,  pulled  out  the  pipe,  got  into  a  line, 
and  asked  us  to  give  up  our  prisoner,   which  we  did. 
Then  we  all  took  a  whiff  from  the  pipe,  they  all  the  while 
beating  and  pounding  away  on  their  chests.  ,  Jim  and 
myself  they  complimented  with  titles,  such  as  "Big  Wrar- 
rior,"  "Big  Man,"  but  when  driver  Scotch  George  came 
to  have  his  pull  at  the  pipe,  they  said,  "Squaw  no  good," 
and  refused  him  the  pipe,  and  turning  to  me  said,  "coolah 
(boy),nosquaw."  Sotheyhad  noticed  George's  taking  the 
place  of  driver  and  hiding  in  the  wagon.    Poor  George  was 
rather  crest-fallen,  for  he  had  been  a  great  brag,  always 
telling  what  he  would  do  in  case  of  an  engagement.    He 


52  WHISKEY  LEGAL  TENDER. 

never,  so  long  as  I  knew  him,  recovered  from  the  Indian 
christening  of  "Squaw." 

When  the  prisoner  had  been  surrendered  and  the  treaty 
of  peace  negotiated,  trade  and  commerce  succeeded,  and 
traffic  began.  They  were  ready  to  swap  anything  for 
sugar.  They  had  an  American  horse— one,  I  suppose,  they 
had  borrowed  the  year  before  of  the  Mormons  as  they 
passed  along.  He  was  a  fine  upstanding  animal  but  very 
poor,  and  his  hair  was  long  and  rough.  At  first  look  one 
would  not  give  five  dollars  for  him.  I  wanted  to  buy  him 
but  did  not  know  what  to  give,  or  what  to  offer  in  ex- 
change. They  wanted  sugar— I  offered  them  money — "no 
good,  they  said.  Sugar  and  whiskey  were  legal  tender. 
I  was  bound  to  have  the  horse,  and  as  I  had  not  used  my 
share  of  our  stock  of  sugar,  and  felt  rich  in  the  supposed 
possession  of  a  quart  of  brandy — my  share  of  the  gallon, 
never  having  tasted  it,  I  supposed  it  all  in  the  jug— I 
was  prepared  to  trade.  George  earnestly  remonstrated 
against  my  parting  with  the  brandy ;  we  would  want  it 
for  sickness,  he  said.  Both  the  other  men  were  willing,  so 
I  agreed  to  give  a  pint  of  sugar  and  a  pint  of  whiskey. 
George  interposed  a  final  objection — if  I  treated  the  In- 
dians, they  would  follow  us  and  steal  the  horse  back  and 
more  with  him.  But  it  was  of  no  use,  and  the  boys  all 
said  they  would  stand  extra  guard  for  a  few  nights,  and 
that  settled  it.  I  took  an  empty  vinegar  bottle,  put  in 
about  one-third  water,  got  out  the  gallon  jug  of  brandy, 
that  no  one  had  yet  tasted,  and  filled  a  pint  cup.  Judge 
of  our  surprise  when  we  found  it  had  been  exhausted  and 
watered  till  it  was  about  the  strength  and  color  of  pale 


CROW  WAR,  PEACE  AND  TRAFFIC.  53 

sherry!  But  no  one  was  more  surprised  than  Scotch 
George  himself.  He  charged  it  upon  some  of  the  other 
boys ;  but  it  was  of  no  use,  for  the  cat  was  out  of  the  bag. 
His  strenuous  objection  to  the  trade  was  the  dread  of  the 
brandy  exposure.  He  was  crestfallen,  but  did  not  reform, 
for  when,  some  days  afterwards,  a  little  brandy  was  needed, 
the  jug  was  empty.    Thus  ended  the  Crow  war. 

Among  the  less  weightier  transactions  was  the  ex- 
change of  an  old,  blue,  woolen  shirt,  that  I  had  worn  from 
the  frontier,  for  a  suit  of  buckskin,  shirt  and  pants,  with 
strips  two  or  three  inches  in  length  along  the  seams.  It 
was  a  fine  and  attractive  costume  when  new  and  the 
weather  was  dry,  but  when  the  pants  got  wet  in  the 
slums,  the  legs  elongated,  and  from  time  to  time  had  to  be 
amputated  a  few  inches — the  same  with  the  sleeves  of  the 
shirt — but  soon,  however,  when  the  weather  became  dry 
and  warm,  the  legs  of  the  pants  withdrew  to  a  point 
above  my  knees,  and  the  sleeves  of  the  shirt  could  not  be 
coaxed  down  below  my  elbows.  I  never  afterwards 
aspired  to  Indian  fashions  or  patronized  the  redskin 
tailor. 

We  next  came  to  Independence  Rock,  so  named,  it  was 
said  by  some,  by  Colonel  Fremont,  who  stopped  there  one 
Fourth  of  July— by  others  who  say  because  it  stands  out 
on  the  plain,  away  from  any  other  eminence.  It  is  one 
solid,  grand  bowlder,  probably  the  largest  in  the  world, 
covering,  at  least,  ten  acres  of  ground,  and  is  between  two 
hundred  and  three  hundred  feet  high.  Whatever  the 
origin  of  its  name,  the  rock  is  there,  with  many  thousand 
names  of  visitors  inscribed  thereon,  some  with  chisel  and 


54  '       INDEPENDENCE  ROCK. 

others  with  paint.  I  undertook  to  chisel  my  name  there, 
but  soon  became  discouraged  and  gave  it  up.  We  re- 
mained a  day  and  rested  our  horses,  which  had  begun  to 
fag,  and  were  falling  away  and  getting  weak  for  the  want 
of  green  grass. 

Resting  upon  the  ground  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  mighty 
bowlder,  a  boy  of  seventeen,  unlettered  and  unread,  to 
whom  geology  was  a  term  almost  unknown,  and  the  theory 
of  the  Ice  Age  not  yet  developed,  instinct  alone  prompted 
the  mind  to  contemplation — to  questions  unanswerable — 
as  the  one  invariably  propounded  by  the  child  when  told 
by  his  mother  who  made  him — "  Who  made  God?  "  Whence 
came  this  loose,  separate,  independent  bowlder  rock — 
mightiest  of  the  mightiest— in  the  centre  of  this  vast  green 
and  grassy  plain,  on  the  roof  of  the  continent,  miles  away 
from  all  other 

"Crags,  knolls  and  mounds,  confus'dly  hurled, 
The  fragments  of  an  earlier  world  ?  " 

As  the  finite  cannot  comprehend  the  infinite,  so  I  was  left 
to  ponder  upon  the  incomprehensible  mystery,  even  unto 
this  day,  of  the  genesis  and  history  of  Independence  Rock. 
The  Sweet  Water  river  is  close  by  the  rock.  It  is  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  we  crossed  it  on  snow 
that  had  slid  down  in  an  avalanche,  completely  burying 
it.  The  snow  was  frozen  on  the  top,  forming  a  crust  capa- 
ble of  bearing  our  horses  and  wagons.  A  short  distance 
from  where  we  crossed,  there  was  a  crack  in  the  snow  that 
enabled  ustosee  the  river  running  beneath.  We  letdown  a 
rope  to  the  water,  which  on  measuring  we  found  to  be 


devil's  gate.  55 

twenty-four  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  snow.  It  was  a 
perfectly  safe  bridge  for  miles.  The  stream  forces  itself 
through  a  split  mountain.  The  rift  is  not  more  than  two 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  rocky  walls  rise  over  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  water.  It  is  a  fearfully  grand  sight 
to  look  down  into  the  chasm  where  the  water  rushes, 
dashing  against  the  bowlders  and  forming  foam  and 
spray  almost  equal  to  Niagara  Falls.  It  is  called  Devil's 
Gate.  I  do  not  wish  to  pass  an  opinion  upon  the  appro- 
priateness of  the  name,  but  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  if  one 
entered  the  gate,  he  would  soon  be  launched  into  the  'pres- 
ence of  his  Satanic  majesty  or  landed  in  the  realms  of 
bliss. 


56  SUMMIT  OF  THE  ROCKIES. 


CHAPTER  V. 

South  Pass— The  Summit— Dividing  of  the  Waters— Subblet's  Cut- 
off—General Rejoicing— Green  River  Crossing— The  Shoshones 

—  Woman's   Burdens— No  Chivalry— Hot   Springs— Steamboat 
Valley— Game  Scarce — Fort  Bridger— Old  Jim  and  His  Squaw 

—  Black   River   Crossing  —  Echo   Canon  —  Salt   Lake   in  the 
Distance. 

WE  were  now  approaching  what  was  called  the  South 
Pass,  or  the  summit  of  the  Rock  mountains,  where 
the  waters  divide — one  making  for  the  Pacific,  the  other 
the  Atlantic.  We  were  within  twenty  miles  of  the  summit, 
and  many  were  our  speculations  concerning  its  topo- 
graphical appearance.  Some  thought  it  would  be  a  great 
mountain  to  ascend  and  descend,  but  all  were  agreeably 
disappointed  when  we  found  it  was  a  gradual  and  hardly 
perceptible  ascent  to  a  point  where,  for  the  first  time,  we 
saw  the  water  running  in  a  westerly  course.  We  thought 
concerning  the  summit  something  as  did  the  Irishman  on 
board  ship  about  to  cross  the  equatorial  line,  for  which  he 
had  kept  a  sharp  lookout  but  did  not  see,  and  who,  when 
asked  about  his  experience  when  crossing  the  line,  said, 
" Devil  dam  of  a  line  did  I  see." 

The  country  now  for  about  eighteen  miles  on  was  as  level 
as  a  house  floor  and  about  twenty  miles  wide  from  hills  to 


GREEN  RIVER  CROSSING.  57 

Trills,  when  we  came  to  a  fork  in  the  roads,  or  rather  trails, 
to  a  place  called  Subblet's  Cut-off,  one  leading  northwest, 
towards  Oregon,  the  other  a  little  south  of  west,  which 
went  directly  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  Mormons.  After 
much  consideration  and  discussion  it  was  put  to  vote, 
and  the  latter  route  carried,  although  it  was  a  diversion 
of  some  two  hundred  miles  from  the  direct  route.  The 
object  was  to  rest  and  replenish  our  stock  of  provisions. 
After  passing  the  summit  the  grass  gradually  improved, 
and  being  mixed  with  the  old  did  not  hurt,  but  greatly 
strengthened  our  poor  and  weakened  horses,  for  they  got 
about  equal  amounts  of  each.  We  were  in  good  spirits, 
feeling  that  we  were  on  the  last  half  of  our  journey,  and 
began  to  think  our  greatest  troubles  over.  There  was  a 
general  rejoicing  in  camp  that  night— story  telling  and 
song  singing.  Conviviality  is  a  wonderful  cure  for  past 
afflictions. 

Our  next  place  of  note  was  the  crossing  of  Green  river— 
that  wonderful  central  continental  stream  which  has  its 
source  near  Yellowstone  National  Park  and  the  fountain- 
head  of  the  Missouri,  and  empties  into  the  Colorado  as  the 
Missouri  does  into  the  Mississippi.  When  we  drove  down 
to  the  river  we  were  surprised  to  find  a  band  of  at  least 
two  hundred  Shoshone  Indians  camped  on  the  western 
bank.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  it  would  take  till 
dark  to  cross,  and  then  we  would  be  compelled  to  camp 
among  this  strange  tribe,  an  idea  that  was  not  pleasant 
to  contemplate,  and  so  we  concluded  to  camp  where  we 
were,  and  commenced  to  turn  out  our  horses.  We  had 
hardly  let  them  loose  when  some  of  the  tribe  came  over  to 


58  THE  INDIAN   " DERBY." 

us  and  gave  us  to  understand  that  we  must  cross  that 
night,  for  in  the  morning,  they  said,  the  river  would  be  too 
high  to  cross.  At  first  we  thought  it  a  scheme  of  theirs  to 
get  us  among  them  and  rob  us  in  the  night.  Upon  further 
consideration,  we  thought  if  their  purpose  was  to  rob  us 
the  river  was  no  hindrance  to  them,  and  so  we  concluded 
to  cross.  The  whole  band  turned  to  and  lent  a  hand  in 
crossing.  "  Many  hands  make  light  work,"  and  so  it  was  in 
this  instance,  at  least  it  made  quick  work.  The  Indians 
worked  manfully,  and  I  don't  think  we  were  over  two 
hours  in  crossing  the  now  famous  river.  They  all  seemed 
to  be  very  friendly,  and  the  only  matter  they  bothered  us 
about  was  their  extreme  anxiety  to  trade.  For  the  most 
worthless  article  we  had  they  were  ready  to  swap  some- 
thing equally  valueless  to  us.  We  satisfied  them  pretty 
well  for  their  services,  which  had  been  valuable  to  us.  In 
the  morning  we  found,  as  they  had  told  us,  the  river 
swollen  bank  to  bank,  and  which  would  have  caused  us 
great  trouble  and  loss  of  time  had  we  not  taken  their 
advice. 

They  took  every  means  to  amuse  us,  even  to  the  getting 
up  of  a  horse  race,  and  inviting  us  to  enter  our  ponies  and 
blooded  stock,  and  compete  with  them  for  the  royal  red- 
skin "cup."  We  explained  to  them  that  our  horses  were 
all  handicapped  by  hard  service  and  sharp  bones,  and 
could  not  compete  at  the  Indian  "  Derby  "  with  the  racers 
of  the  Shoshone  nation,  on  the  banks  of  Green  river.  They 
intimated  that  we  were  altogether  too  modest  in  our 
claims  by  pointing  out,  as  a  worthy  horse  to  enter,  Jim 
Pierson's  "Dexter" — the  same  with  which  he  had  clipped 


THE  INDIAN  WOMAN'S  BURDENS.  59 

the  wings  of  the  Crow.     They   are,   generally  speaking,, 
good  judges  of  a  horse. 

The  next  morning,  when  we  started,  they  struck  their 
tents  and  traveled  all  day  with  us,  and  there  were  many 
amusing  scenes  in  the  cavalcade.  Ponies  packed  so  one 
could  see  only  a  big  bundle  of  traps  moving;  another 
pony  carried  a  big  basket  on  each  side  with  three  or  four 
little  Indians  in  each;  still  another  wee  bit  of  a  pony 
would  stagger  under  the  weight  of  two,  and  sometimes 
three,  robust  and  heavy  buck  Indians.  The  men  all  rode 
while  the  squaws  were  all  on  foot,  and  most  of  them  stag- 
gering under  a  heavy  load.  Chivalry  seemed  to  have  been 
but  partially  developed  among  the  Indian  tribes,  for 
while  the  man  went  in  quest  of  adventure,  and  revelled  in 
jousts  and  bouts,  they  seemed  to  have  no  lady-love  to  pro- 
tect, or  whose  smiles  of  approbation  they  considered 
worthy  to  win.  The  Indian  woman  is  a  beast  of  burden 
and  a  slave.  Civilized  man  is  more  kindly  and  generous 
towards  woman.  He  lets  her  do  as  she  pleases — perhaps 
he  can't  help  himself— pays  her  dry  goods  bills,  or  fails; 
lets  her  have  her  own  separate  property,  and  his  own  too, 
when  he  wants  to  keep  it  from  his  creditors ;  indulges  her 
in  occasional  hours  of  relaxation  by  holding  the  baby. 
In  fact,  he  debars  her  of  no  rights  which  he  himself  enjoys, 
saving  the  right  to  vote  and  to  " speak  in  meeting"  — 
which  last  even  Paul  would  not  allow. 

They  camped  with  us  the  second  night,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing left  us,  manifesting  the  strongest  tokens  of  friendship. 
Since  we  had  passed  the  summit  our  road  had  been  change- 
able, with  many  small  mountain  streams  to  cross,  one  of 


60  STEAMBOAT  VALLEY. 

which  was  so  serpentine  that  we  crossed  it  twenty-seven 
times.  The  snow  was  rapidly  melting,  and  every  little 
stream  was  swollen  to  full  banks.  There  was  a  place  in 
our  route  called  Steamboat  Spring  Valley,  which  was 
interesting  to  travelers  from  the  circumstance  of  its  con- 
taining certain  very  active  hot  springs,  whose  intermit- 
tent puffs  of  steam  could  be  seen  at  a  great  distance,  and 
which  seemed  wonderfully  like  an  approaching  steamboat. 
Upon  arriving  at  the  place  several  springs  were  found  puff- 
ing away — all  more  or  less  hot — one,  in  particular,  cer- 
tainly near  the  boiling  point,  which  was  said  to  be 
unfathomable,  which  would  bubble  and  boil  at  the  surface 
for  a  minute  or  so,  and  then  belch  forth  to  the  height  of 
two  or  three  feet  and  then  subside  for  two  or  three  min- 
utes, and  then  repeat  the  process.  It  was,  at  least,  a  vivid 
reminder  of  the  story  of  the  Dutchman  and  his  son,  who, 
in  crossing  the  country,  had  camped  near  a  hot  spring; 
but  all  innocent  of  such  a  wonderful  phenomenon,  he 
started  out  to  get  a  refreshing  drink  while  his  son  was 
unyoking  the  oxen.  He  got  down  on  his  knees,  but  took 
in,  instead  of  cold,  a  mouthful  of  hot  water.  Ejecting  it 
quicker  than  he  had  sipped  it,  he  told  Hanse  to  yoke  up 
the  oxen  quick — saying,  "Hell  is  not  one  mile  from  this 
place,  sure."  Often  within  a  few  rods,  or  even  feet,  of  one 
of  these  hot  springs,  there  will  be  a  spring  of  ice  cold 
water. 

Game  was  getting  scarcer  very  fast  after  crossing  the 
summit,  only  a  few  antelope  and  deer,  no  mountain  goats, 
no  elk,  nor  jack  rabbits,  which,  perhaps,  I  have  not  before 
mentioned,  but  which  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  En- 


FORT  BRIDGER  REACHED.  61 

glish  hare.  There  is  also  the  sage  hen,  something  like  the 
partridge  or  the  New  Zealand  hen.  They  are  a  fine-looking 
bird,  but  when  cooked  they  are  not  eatable,  being  so 
strongly  tainted  with  the  wild  sage  bush,  which  is  their 
sole  subsistence.  The  wild  sage  is  mostly  found  on  barren 
land,  and  the  Laramie  country  produced  the  most  exten- 
sive fields  of  it.  As  for  the  Indians,  I  found  the  Pawnees 
the  best  tribe,  the  Shoshones  the  next,  but  to  take  their 
word  each  tribe  was  good,  but  their  neighbors  were 
represented  as  all  liars  and  thieves.  The  Sioux  had  that 
name  among  emigrants.  All  tribes  I  ever  talked  with 
said  the  Crows  would  rob,  or  "swap,"  as  they  called  it. 
But  of  all  the  tribes  that  we  had  met  with  thus  far,  the 
Shoshonees  alone  did  not  steal  from  us.  Nevertheless,  all 
Indians  are  at  least  notorious  vagabonds  and  beggars. 

While  the  days  were  warm,  the  nights  were  now  very- 
cold,  and  we  suffered  much,  for  we  were  wet  during  the 
day  in  crcfssing  streams  and  lay  in  wet  blankets  nights,, 
not  one  of  us  having  a  stitch  of  dry  bedding.  We  were, 
however,  happy  in  one  thing,  and  that  was  that  food  was 
good  and  our  horses  were  improving  every  day.  I  never 
before  saw  grass  that  horses  would  fatten  on  in  so  short 
a  time,  and  do  so  much  work  as  they  will  on  this  western 
prairie  grass ;  nor  did  I  ever  see  old  last  year's  grass  that 
had  the  substance  in  it  like  this  in  and  around  the  Rocky- 
mountains.  The  reason  is,  there  is  not  so  much  rain  and 
it  cures  before  frost  comes ;  the  substance  and  sweetness  is 
dried  into  it  instead  of  being  dried  out  of  it. 

Now  we  have  come  to  Ft.  Bridger,  which  now,  after 
thirty-eight  years,  is  known  upon  the  map  as  being  in  the 


'62  OLD  JIM  AND  MADAME  BRIDGER. 

southwest  corner  of  Wyoming,  close  to  the  border  of 
Utah.  It  was  named  after  the  man  who  built  it  twenty- 
seven  years  before,  and  still  lived  in  it.  It  was  dark  before 
the  train  reached  there,  and  three  of  us  rode  ahead,  but 
it  being  further  than  we  thought  for,  the  gates  of  the 
Bridger  fortress  were  closed  for  the  night.  We  knocked 
for  admittance.  He  asked  who  was  there.  • '  A  party  from 
the  frontier,"  we  responded.  "  When?"  he  asked.  "This 
spring,"  we  replied.  "Impossible!"  said  he.  But  we 
proved  our  case  to  his  entire  satisfaction  by  showing  him 
the  St.  Louis  papers.  He  took  us  in  and  treated  us  very 
hospitably.  He  had  a  squaw  and  two  children,  a  boy  and 
girl,  half  casts,  of  whom  he  seemed  to  be  very  fond. 
They  were  about  fourteen  and  sixteen,  respectivel}'.  Old 
Jim,  as  the  lord  of  the  castle  was  called,  was  anxious  for 
us  to  hear  them  read,  which  we  did.  Madam  Bridger, 
the  squaw,  cooked  us  a  good  supper,  making  some  light 
biscuit.  I  don't  know  but  that  it  w^as  because  we  were  very 
hungry,  but  certainly  I  thought  they  were  the  best  I  had 
ever  eaten.  At  all  events,  they  were  the  very  best  I  had  ever 
eaten  of  a  squaw's  baking.  We  had  a  good  dry  bed  of 
buffalo  rugs — the  first  dry  bed  for  many  a  night— and  I 
neecl  not  say  that  though  a  lad  of  only  seventeen,  worn 
out  and  tired  as  I  was,  I  did  not  require  rocking  to  induce 
sleep  after  getting  into  a  warm  bed. 

The  train  came  in  about  noon  the  next  day  and  camped. 
Bridger,  or  Old  Jim,  gave  us  a  remarkable  history  of  himself. 
He  said  that  the  name  by  which  he  was  known  was  an 
assumed  one,  that  he  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  said 
that  when  a  boy  of  sixteen  he  fell  into  disgrace,  and  in 


MORE  RIYER  CROSSING.  63 

consequence  thereof  ran  away,  and  that  his  family  had 
never  known  of  his  whereabouts  as  he  knew  of,  as  he  had 
changed  his  name  and  had  never  written  home.  Joining 
a  band  of  trappers  he  came  out  there,  where  he  had  re- 
mained ever  since.  He  claimed  to  be  very  rich,  having 
made  his  money  in  the  fur  trade,  and  after  the  Mormons 
commenced  to  come  to  Salt  Lake  he  made  much  money 
out  of  them  by  trading  in  horses,  taking  their  worn  out 
ones  and  getting  the  full  value  of  his  in  money  as  ''boot." 
According  to  his  own  story,  he  was  an  unscrupulous 
sharper  with  very  strong  tendencies  towards  rascality. 

We  started  next  day  for  Salt  Lake  City,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles.  We  were  in  hopes  to  reach 
there  in  five  days,  but  we  were  disappointed.  The  first 
stream  to  cross  was  Black  river — not  much  of  a  stream, 
but  we  had  to  take  our  wagons  to  pieces  and  ferry  across 
in  wagon  boxes,  a  tedious  operation,  as  the  ground  was 
boggy  leading  to  the  approaches,  consequently  all  our  lug- 
gage, and  even  the  wagons  had  to  be  carried  to  the  river 
from  the  foot  of  the  spurs — in  some  instances  a  hundred 
3'ards .  A  rope  had  to  be  run  across  the  stream ,  by  some  one 
swimming  across  and  carrying  a  cord  in  his  teeth  attached 
to  a  rope,  and  pulling  it  over.  After  this  was  made  fast,  a 
wagon  box,  well  corked  and  pitched  so  as  to  be  water  tight, 
was  launched,  and  the  work  of  ferrying  commenced .  It  was 
a  tedious  and  laborious  job.  Then  Black  Fork  liver  had 
to  be  crossed.  The  first  time  it  was  accomplished  without 
difficulty,  but  the  second  time, we  had  to  swim  our  horses. 
It  was  difficult  to  make  our  horses  take  the  stream.  Wc 
had  to  push  them  in,  but  their  instincts  protested,  and  thev 


64  COLD,  CRAMPS  AND  CAYENNE. 

would  turn  and  come  back.  My  little  horse  Billey  was  the 
best  leader  of  all,  and  was  always  selected  for  that  ser- 
vice, especially  where  the  current  was  swift.  I  had  implicit 
confidence  in  him,  and  had  become  careless.  I  jumped  onto 
him  without  taking  off  his  harness.  I  pulled  off  my  pants 
and  took  them  on  my  arm.  We  had  reached  the  middle  of 
the  stream  when  Billey  caught  his  hind  foot  in  one  of  the 
traces  and  suddenly  rolled  over  on  his  side  and  floated  down 
stream,  while  I  became  confused,  not  thinking  to  cut  the 
harness  and  let  him  free.  I  jumped  from  him  and  went 
ashore,  but  seeing  my  little  horse  still  struggling  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  my  presence  of  mind  returned,  and, 
taking  my  knife  in  my  teeth,  I  started  back  for  poor  Billey,, 
cut  the  harness  and  freed  him,  and  soon  had  him  on  shore. 
The  current  was  strong,  the  water  cold,  and  we  must 
have  been  in  the  water  half  an  hour.  I  became  chilled,  had 
the  cramps  in  coming  ashore,  thought  every  stroke  would 
be  the  last,  and  it  would  had  not  good  Jim  Pierson. 
seen  my  difficulty  and  stripped  and  come  to  my  rescue.  I 
was  brought  ashore  and  laid  out  on  the  ground  perfectly 
benumbed.  They  rubbed  me  and  ran  for  the  brandy,  but  it 
had  all  evaporated  through  old  George,  and  nothing  was 
available  but  some  of  the  cayenne  pepper.  They  rubbed 
me  with  that  and  gave  me  some  internally,  which  brought 
me  around.  In  less  than  three  hours  I  was  swimming  the 
stream  for  the  third  time  with  a  cord  in  my  teeth,  but  my 
horse  was  never  good  in  the  water  after  that. 

Webber  river  next  gave  us  considerable  trouble,  a  crooked 
river  which  we  had  to  cross  several  times,  of  swift  cur- 
rent, where  the  wagons  had  to  be  held  by  ropes.    On  thi& 


ECHO  CANON.  65 

river  is  the  famous  Echo  cation.  At  some  places  in  the 
canon,  which  is  some  miles  in  length,  one  may  talk  in  a 
common  tone  of  voice,  and  he  will  get  no  less  than  three 
distinct  repeatals  of  the  words  he  has  spoken.  Some  days 
the  echo  is  much  more  distinct  than  others.  The  scenery 
in  some  places  is  unspeakably  grand.  The  canon  is  about 
two  hundred  yards  wide,  with  perpendicular  walls  four 
hundred  feet  high.  At  some  points,  one  may  seethe  mount- 
ain goats  skipping  from  rock  to  rock,  where  one  would 
hardly  think  a  fly  could  hang  on.  They  are  very  shy,  and 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  near  enough  to  shoot  one. 
We  occasionally  had  an  opportunity  to  inspect  the  carcass 
of  one  who  had  departed  this  life,  leaving  his  head  and 
horns,  which  we  found  to  be  about  as  much  as  we  could 
carry.  We  had  now  got  past  the  region  of  game — only 
now  and  then  an  antelope — buffalo  from  herds  of  thou- 
sands had  dwindled  down  to  two  or  three  at  the  most,  a 
few  ducks,  and  that  was  all.  Saw  some  signs  of  the 
grizzly  bear  as  soon  as  we  had  passed  the  summit  and 
began  to  descend  the  western  slope,  but  the  terrible  beast 
himself  we  had  not  seen.  He  was  doubtless  at  home,  but 
none  of  us  were  ambitious  of  making  his  acquaintance,  so 
passed  his  door  without  leaving  our  card  or  knocking. 

We  now  left  Echo  canon  and  passed  over  to  another, 
and  up  it  for  fifteen  miles,  leading  over  the  divide,  or  low 
mountain  range  which  separates  the  Green  River  valley 

ifrom  the  Salt  Lake  basin.  Of  all  the  trials  we  had  met 
with  in  our  long  journey,  this  was  the  chief.  The  gorge 
was  filled  with  snow  from  bottom  to  top  and  was  melt- 
ing, and  streams  of  water  from  the  sides  were  rushing  in. 


66  ARRIVE  AT  SALT  LAKE  CITY. 

The  horses  would  break  through  the  softening  crust  and 
have  to  be  dragged  out ;  the  wagons  had  to  be  taken  to 
pieces  and  carried ;  and,  worse  still,  when  night  came  we 
had  to  take  the  horses  back  to  Webber  canon  to  feed.  This 
Herculean  labor  lasted  five  days,  when  finally  we  reached 
the  summit  to  find  our  ample  reward  in  the  most  beautiful 
prospect  on  this  earth.  Seventeen  miles  away  down  the 
gentle  western  slope  lay  the  beautiful,  but  then  little,  vil- 
lage of  Salt  Lake,  as  plain  to  the  naked  eye  as  if  only  half 
a  mile  away.  Beyond  the  village,  Salt  Lake,  eighty  miles 
long,  glistened  in  the  sun,  its  remotest  shore  as  distinctly 
visible  as  the  village  itself.  Away  to  the  south,  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  was  one  broad,  beautiful,  level  plain, 
covered  already  with  a  carpet  of  deepest  green.  All  this 
loveliness  of  lake  and  landscape  was  bordered  and  framed 
by  snow-capped  mountains  whose  silver  summits  seemed 
to  touch  the  blue  vault  of  heaven.  Such  were  my  impres- 
sions of  Salt  Lake  City  and  valley  then,  and  never  since, 
in  all  my  travels,  has  that  picture  faded  from  my  memory 
or  been  surpassed  by  any  other. 

Not  one  of  our  company  but  enjoyed  these  beauties  of 
nature.  We  celebrated  the  day  by  pitching  our  camp  on 
the  summit  and  dining  on  the  best  our  larder  afforded .  It 
was  our  last  meal  on  the  first  half  of  our  journey.  At 
three  o'clock  we  arrived  on  the  ground,  about  two  miles 
out  of  the  city,  where,  I  am  told,  the  new  fort  now  is, 
though  I  have  not  been  there  since.  Here,  on  the  nine- 
teenth day  of  May,  1850,  we  camped  for  a  few  da}'s,  it 
being  our  forty-ninth  day  out,  and  having  traveled 
thirteen  hundred  miles  from  St.  Louis. 


MORMON   HOSPITALITY.  67 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Salt  Lake  City— Hospitality— Mormon  Women— Anxiety  for  News 
— Needles  and  Thread — Brigham  Young — Sunday  at  the  Temple 
—  A  Race  with  a  Shower  — Laughing  Ladies— Distance  Decep- 
tive—Comforting Assurances  —  Indians  all  Baptized  — Ogden 
Park  — Sudden  Death  — Bear  River — The  Valley— Then  and 
Now. 

NEVER  were  people  more  surprised  than  were  those 
at  Salt  Lake  City  at  such  an  early  arrival.  It  was 
unprecedented,  impossible;  they  would  not  believe  we  had 
come  all  the  way  from  the  Mississippi  until  we  showed 
them  St.  Louis  papers.  The  hospitality  of  the  people  of 
Salt  Lake  City  was  unbounded.  No  strangers  were  ever 
before  or  since  taken  in  and  treated  more  kindly  by  any  peo- 
ple on  this  earth  than  we  were  by  them.  Women  in  partic- 
ular were  as  kind  as  mothers  and  sisters  to  sons  and 
brothers  returned  after  long  absence.  They  would  stop 
us  on  the  streets,  and  call  to  us  from  the  doors  of  their 
houses  to  come  in,  so  anxious  were  they  to  learn  where 
we  came  from,  hoping  to  hear  through  us  from  their  old 
home  in  the  states,  or  possibly  from  England,  Sweden, 
Denmark,  and  even  from  the  borders  of  Finland.  They 
invariably  asked  us  to  eat,  and  would  hardly  take  no  for 
an  answer. 


68  TRADING  WITH  THE  WOMEN. 

We  remained  in  Salt  Lake  three  days,  going  among  the 
people,  trading  any  little  articles  we  had  for  flour,  which, 
by  the  way,  was  a  scarce  article  even  with  them,  as  all 
their  flour  was  ground  in  hand  mills  and  sifted.  We 
bought  it  by  the  pint  measure,  paying  thirty  cents  a  pint. 
Where  we  traded  for  sugar  we  got  two  pints  for  one. 
A  spool  of  thread  would  buy  almost  anything  of  the 
women,  and,  as  most  of  the  boys'  mothers  had  fitted 
them  out  bountifully  with  needles  and  thread,  they  were 
thus  enabled  to  drive  a  brisk  trade  with  the  Mormon 
ladies,  especially  in  the  line  of  vegetables,  that  being  the 
first  season  of  plenty  with  them.  Brigham  Young,  priest, 
prophet  and  king  of  the  Mormon  faith,  was  then  in  the 
full  vigor  of  life.  He  visited  our  camp  and  conversed  with 
us  on  our  journey,  but  neither  interfered  with  us  nor  had 
anything  to  offer  offensive  or  unpleasant.  Some  of  our 
men  attended  services  at  the  temple  on  Sunday,  and  were 
treated  with  the  same  civility  they  would  have  a  right 
to  expect  from  any  other  class  of  worshipers.  I  shall 
ever  feel  kindly  towards  the  Mormon  people.  I  never 
speak  evil  of  the  bridge  that  has  carried  me  safely  over  the 
stream.  Salt  Lake,  in  my  time,  was  only  in  its  infancy. 
The  Mormons  had  only  sent  on  a  party  in  1847  to  find  a 
place  for  settlement,  and  in  1848  was  the  first  emigration, 
and  it  is  wonderful  how  much  they  had  accomplished  in 
two  years.  They  had  already  many  farms  under  consid- 
erable improvement ;  and  as  for  the  future  city,  it  was  hand- 
somelylaidout  in  squares,  with  irrigating  streams  running 
through  the  principal  streets,  combining  in  this  respect,  in 
a  happy  degree,  the  elements  of  novelty,  utility  and  com- 


ATMOSPHERIC   PHENOMENA.  69 

fort.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  out  of  town  were  springs 
of  hot,  warm  and  ice-cold  water.  They  were  utilized  for 
bathing  purposes.  The  men  monopolized  the  establishment 
four  days  in  the  week,  the  women  two. 

While  riding  out  on  a  trading  expedition  for  flour  and 
vegetables,  I  suddenly  looked  around  and  discovered  a 
heavy  shower  of  rain  which  seemed  to  be  close  on  me.  I 
expected  to  be  drenched  to  the  skin  in  a  moment.  Spying 
a  house  about  half  a  mile  distant,  I  put  my  horse  to  the 
run,  never  once  looking  over  my  shoulder,  but  every 
moment  expecting  a  bath.  I  could  hear  it  pouring  in  tor- 
rents back  on  the  mountain  side,  and  I  spurred  the  pony 
on  at  his  full  speed.  At  last  I  arrived  at  the  house,  there  to 
meet  five  women  laughing  hard  enough  to  burst  steel  cor- 
sets, had  they  worn  them.  I  inquired  the  cause  of  their 
laughter,  and  judge  of  my  surprise  when  they  said  they 
were  laughing  at  me.  "It  never  rains  in  this  valley,"  they 
said.  I  looked  back,  and  there,  surely,  was  the  rain  pouring 
down  not  half  a  mile  off,  as  it  seemed  tome.  "Well,"  said 
I,  rather  indignantly,  "you  will  see  rain  here,  in  this  God 
selected  country  of  yours,  in  less  than  three  minutes."  I 
could  not  believe  them  when  they  told  me  that  that 
shower  was  over  five  miles  away,  on  the  mountain  side. 
"But,"  said  I,  "it  is  not  over  half  that  distance  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain."  They  said  it  was  over  twenty  miles. 
However,  I  was  soon  on  friendly  terms  with  these  laugh- 
ing women  and  effected  a  pretty  good  trade  with  them,  and 
rode  away,  they  telling  me  in  happy  humor  that  if  I  saw 
another  shower  of  rain  not  to  break  my  horse's  neck  try- 
ing to  run  away  from  it,  if  I  did  not  like  to  be  laughed  at 


BAPTISM   OF  THE   PIUTES.  71 

in  Salt  Lake  valley.  When  I  returned  to  camp,  one  of  the 
boys  related  a  similar  experience.  I  laughed  at  him,  but 
took  good  care  to  keep  my  own  adventure  to  myself. 

On  leaving  our  Mormon  friends,  they  all  comforted  us 
with  the  assurance  that  we  need  have  no  fear  of  the  In- 
dians, the  Piutes,  as  they  had  all  joined  the  congregation  of 
the  Latter  Day  Saints,  the  chief  only  a  few  days  before 
having  been  baptized.  We  felt  glad  to  know  that  the 
noble  chief  and  his  whole  tribe  had  secured  through  tickets 
and  a  front  seat  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds  of  the  here- 
after; but  somehow  our  faith  was  not  implicit  that  when 
we  met  him  he  would  give  us  a  "free  pass  "  on  our  tempo- 
ral journey.  Ogden  Fork,  as  it  was  then  called,  thirty- 
eight  miles  due  north  from  Salt  Lake  City,  was  our  next 
objective  point,  where  Ogden  City  now  stands,  on  the 
Webber  river,  at  the  junction  of  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  railroads.  The  afternoon  after  leaving  Salt  Lake 
City,  I  was  walking  with  one  of  our  boys,  both  of  us 
building  castles  in  the  air,  when  he  told  me  his  sole  ambi- 
tion was  to  get  money  enough  in  California  to  return  and 
buy  a  farm  and  make  a  home  for  his  widowed  mother  and 
a  sister,  younger  than  himself,  that  he  had  left  behind. 
His  father,  he  said,  had  died  when  he  was  but  ten  years 
old,  leaving  his  mother  in  humble  circumstances ;  but  she 
had  struggled  through  and  managed  to  give  him  a  good 
education,  and  now  he  only  wanted  to  make  enough  to 
place  her  in  comfort  in  her  old  age.  I  left  him  leading  a 
pack  horse  and  walking.  Ten  minutes  later  the  pack 
turned,  frightening  the  horse,  which  sprang  forward,  strik- 
ing him  between  the  shoulders  with    his  fore  feet,   and 


72  SUDDEN   DEATH. 

knocking  him  down  and  his  breath  out  of  his  body.  We 
carried  him  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  near  by.  Not  know- 
ing what  else  to  do,  and  remembering  what  my  brother, 
the  doctor,  had  told  me  to  do  in  case  of  an  accident  of  the 
kind;  I  bled  him.  He  seemed  to  revive  for  a  short  time,  but 
gradually  sank  back,  and  died  in  about  three  hours.  We 
buried  him  under  the  tree  where  we  first  carried  him  and 
where  he  died.  Poor  fellow !  It  was  a  sudden  termination 
of  his  young  life  and  all  his  fond  hopes.  I  have  often 
thought  of  his  poor  mother  and  sister  of  whom  he  had 
spoken  so  recently,  with  his  eyes  glistening  with  tears  of 
affection.  Unfortunately,  the  poor  fellow  was  a  stranger 
to  us  all.  We  had  met  him  only  upon  the  start,  and  none 
knew  his  name  or  the  address  of  his  poor  mother.  The 
labors  and  anxieties  of  such  a  journey  are  so  exhausting  to 
the  body  and  absorbing  to  the  mind  that  we  rarely  get 
even  the  name  of  an  associate,  much  less  a  knowledge  of 
his  history  and  family.  So  it  was  in  this  case.  I  have 
often  wondered  if  she  ever  heard  of  his  sad  end.  Parties 
like  ours  do  not  communicate  so  freely  as  they  ought  to. 
I  have  known  persons  intimately  for  years,  and  after  all 
only  knew  them  as  Tom  or  Charley,  without  inquiring 
further.  We  don't  like  to  appear  inquisitive.  I  once  knew 
a  man  in  California  by  the  name  of  H.  G.  Nichols,  for 
something  over  two  years,  and  we  were  almost  as  inti- 
mate as  brothers.  One  day  we  were  talking,  and  both 
suddenty  found  that  we  were  born  within  three  miles  of 
each  other,  he  in  the  town  of  Twinsburg,  Ohio,  and  I  in 
Aurora,  and  both  knew  each  other's  family.  On  another 
occasion  I  was  speaking  of  a  young  lady  and  an  incident 


DISCOVERING  OLD  NEIGHBORS.  73 

that  occurred  at  a  dancing  party  when  she,  after  dancing, 
walked  out  onto  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  and  fell  to  the 
sidewalk.  A  party  I  had  known  for  years  began  to  cross- 
question  me  about  the  incident,  and  facetiously  asked  me 
if  I  was  there.  Thinking  he  disbelieved  me  I  was  annoyed, 
and  I  said,  "No,  but  perhaps  you  were."  "  Yes,"  said  he, 
"I  was."  " Now  tell  me  who  you  are,"  said  he.  "I  had 
always  supposed  you  from  Kentucky."  "And,"  said  I, 
"I  always  supposed  }'Ou  were  from  Missouri  "—and  that  is 
what  we  called  him.  He  proved  to  be  Morris  Meeker,  and 
when,  recently,  I  returned  to  Ohio,  I  went  by  his  request 
and  the  promise  I  made  him,  and  saw  his  father  and  sisters 
in  Cleveland.  I  only  speak  of  this  to  illustrate  how  long 
persons  may  be  acquainted  and  yet  know  nothing  of  their 
family  or  history.  If  persons  so  situated  as  we  were 
would  only  be  more  communicative,  more  fathers  and 
mothers  would  learn  the  fate  of  their  sons,  if  death  or 
calamity  overtook  them  far  from  home. 

At  a  nameless  stream,  a  few  miles  north  of  Ogden  Fork, 
which  empties  into  an  arm  or  bay  of  Salt  Lake,  we 
encountered  the  first  serious  embarrassment  of  the  second 
half  of  our  journey.  We  were  two  days  in  crossing  this 
comparatively  unimportant  stream.  Its  approach  was  a 
quagmire  for  two  hundred  yards.  It  was  flooded  from 
bank  to  bank  with  the  melted  snow  ol  the  eastern  range 
of  mountains,  and  the  current  was  the  swiftest  we  had  yet 
seen.  But  it  had  to  be  crossed,  and  we  went  at  it,  taking 
our  wagons  to  pieces  and  carrying  them,  piece  by  piece, 
across  the  swampy  ground.  One  of  the  party,  whom  we 
called  "Sorrel,"  a  red-haired   man,  whose   name  I  also. 


74  CARRIED   DOWN  STREAM. 

never  knew,  swam  the  stream  with  the  fish  line  in  his 
teeth,  while  one  man  in  a  tree  paid  it  out  to  him.  This 
was  to  keep  the  line  out  of  the  swift  current  of  the  stream 
as  much  as  possible,  that  the  swimmer  might  not  be  hand- 
icapped. Time  and  perseverance  accomplish  all  things. 
One  boat  was  launched,  but  the  current  was  so  strong  we 
could  take  but  small  loads,  but  we  could  get  them  across 
as  fast  as  they  could  be  brought  to  us  across  the  swamp. 
It  took  the  whole  day  and  until  ten  o'clock  at  night  to 
accomplish  this  part  of  the  job.  The  next  day  we  went 
about  getting  the  horses  over.  They  could  not  cross  the 
swamp,  so  we  had  to  go  up  the  stream  about  four  miles 
before  we  could  find  a  place  where  we  could  get  the  horses 
in,  and  the  higher  up  the  swifter  the  current.  We  had  men 
on  both  sides  looking  for  a  place,  for  it  required  not  only 
to  get  in,  but  to  get  out  as  well.  The  horses  seemed  to 
know  the  danger  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  ourselves,  for 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  get  them  near  the  stream. 
When  once  you  could  get  one  into  the  stream,  the  others 
would  generally  follow. 

I  was  called  on  to  lead  the  way,  or  ride  the  leading 
horse.  The  best  swimmer  was  brought  to  the  front,  for 
poor  Billey  was  wholly  demoralized  after  his  struggle  in 
Black  Fork.  The  horses  were  now  all  brought  to  the 
bank.  I  mounted  the  leader  and  he  was  then  pushed 
bodily  into  the  stream,  and  the  others  followed.  No 
sooner  had  we  struck  the  water  than  the  current  drew  us 
under,  the  horse  floundering  and  I  hanging  to  his  neck, 
only  my  two  hands  sticking  out,  and  going  down  stream 
at  the  rate  of  at  least  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  all  the 


CROSSING  BEAR  RIVER.  75 

other  horses  in  the  same  manner,  none  having  any  more 
power  over  the  current  than  if  they  had  been  shot  from  a 
cannon.  We  were  taken  down  in  this  manner  for  over  a 
mile,  when  the  horse  I  was  riding,  or  rather  hanging 
to,  struck  the  opposite  shore.  No  sooner  had  he  struck 
than  I  was  on  my  feet  on  the  bank,  holding  him  by  the 
bridle  and  singing  out  at  the  top  of  my  lungs  for  help. 
One  can  judge  of  the  rate  of  speed  we  floated  when  the 
boys  on  either  bank  could  not  keep  up,  running  at 
the  top  of  their  speed.  The  other  horses  were  swept 
down  past  me  like  shot;  but  as  fortune  or  Providence 
would  have  it,  there  was  a  bend  in  the  river  about  three 
hundred  yards  below,  and  there  the  other  horses  landed. 
It  was  a  sloping  bank,  and  they  all  walked  out.  The  boys 
soon  came  down  to  me  and  lifted  my  horse  bodily  out  of 
the  water.  We  were  now  all  on  the  right  side  of  the  river 
without  losing  a  horse  or  meeting  with  any  other  serious 
accident,  and  putting  our  wagons  together  we  went  on 
our  way  rejoicing. 

We  had  now  fair  sailing  on  to  Bear  river,  which  is  the 
largest  river  emptying  into  Salt  Lake  from  the  north.  We 
struck  it  at  a  point  in  the  valley  about  eighty  miles  from 
Salt  Lake  City.  It  had  given  us  a  great  deal  of  anxiety,  as 
they  told  us  in  the  city  that  we  might  as  well  stay  there 
as  to  go  up  and  wait  there  for  the  new  party  at  Salt  Lake 
City  to  come,  which  we  tried  to  persuade  to  come  with  us, 
as  they  had  three  fine  boats  ready  to  put  into  the  stream ; 
but  they  declined,  saying  it  was  too  early,  that  they  were 
not  going  up  there  to  wait  a  month  for  emigration,  so 
we  went  without  them.    Upon  reaching  the  river  we  were 


76  SAFELY  OVER. 

agreeably  surprised.  Although  it  was  a  wide  stream  and 
much  swollen,  the  current  was  slow,  and  all  we  had  to  do 
was  to  man  our  wagon-bed  ferry-boat,  and  two  men  with 
spades  paddled  across,  a  third  man  standing  at  the  hind 
and  paying  out  the  rope.  Within  half  an  hour  from  our 
arrival  on  its  bank  we  were  busy  running  our  wagons  and 
traps  over,  and  within  five  or  six  hours  we  were,  horses 
and  all,  safe  on  the  western  shore.  Thus  we  were  detained 
only  a  little  over  half  a  day  at  the  stream,  the  crossing  of 
which  we  had  dreaded  as  much,  if  not  more,  than  all 
others  on  our  journey. 

We  were  now  in  the  extreme  north  of  Salt  Lake  valley. 
At  that  time  it  was  perfectly  wild ;  there  was  no  settle- 
ment, not  even  so  far  north  as  Ogden.  The  country  was 
one  beautiful,  level  plain — the  bottom  of  a  once  great 
inland  sea  of  which  the  present  salt  sea  is  but  a  miniature 
survival.  The  plain  was  dotted  with  thin  patches  of  tim- 
ber, especially  near  the  numerous  small  streams  that 
trickled  down  from  the  snowy  mountains.  Now  this 
lovely  valley  is  thickly  settled  with  a  teeming  and  indus- 
trious population— a  great  producing  agricultural  coun- 
try, dotted  with  pleasant  farm-houses  and  thriving  and 
growing  villages,  with  homes  of  comfort  and  even  luxury, 
where  the  most  delicious  fruit  grows  almost  spontane- 
ously. 


FORT  HALL  AND  SODA  SPRINGS.  7T 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Fort  Hall  — Soda  Springs— Another  Party— Disagreement— Hum- 
bolt  River  — The  Sink  — The  Lake  — The  Desert— Suffering — 
Alkali  Water  — Digger  Indians  —  Surprised  —  The  Killed— A 
Death  Avenged  — Our  Loss— Starvation  — Boiled  Badger— Ex- 
haustion—Mental  Weakness— Childish  Petulance. 

LEAVING  Bear  river,  our  route  bore  northwest  up  a 
gradual  rise  for  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
until  we  reached  Subblet's  Cut-off,  which  I  before  men- 
tioned as  the  route  where  we  made  a  diversion  from 
the  most  direct  line  to  go  down  to  Salt  Lake.  Had 
we  pursued  the  direct  course,  then  we  would  have 
been  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  farther  on  our 
journey.  Here  was  Fort  Hall,  and  also  some  soda  springs. 
The  water  when  first  taken  out  had  all  the  effervescence 
and  sparkling  qualities  of  the  domestic  or  manufactured 
article.  When  we  reached  the  forks,  we  were  surprised  to 
find  a  piece  of  board  put  up,  on  which  was  written  in 
bantering  style  an  invitation  to  "come  on."  As  we  had 
been  leading  all  others  thus  far  in  the  journey,  it  was 
now  a  little  humiliating  to  find  a  party  two  days  ahead 
of  us.     We  resolved,  however,  to  overtake  them.     For 


78  EIVAL  TRAVELERS. 

three  days  we  made  at  least  fifty  miles  a  day,  and  on  the 
third  day  we  came  up  with  them,  and  we  camped  together 
that  night,  and  for  about  a  week  traveled  together.  The 
party  we  called  the  Ohio  party,  some  being  from  Pick- 
away county  and  others  from  Canton,  Stark  county. 
There  was  a  spirit  of  rivalry  between  the  two  parties  to 
see  which  could  outdo  the  other  in  progress.  Finally  the 
weaker  teams  began  to  give  out  and  fall  behind.  Some 
were  rather  inclined  to  be  vexed  at  those  who  were  unnec- 
essarily hurrying  onward.  Not  long,  however,  before 
there  was  loud  murmur  and  complaint,  secession  and  a 
split.  Some  of  our  own  party  falling  behind,  together 
with  some  of  the  Ohio  party,  as  we  called  the  new  party, 
and  being  about  equally  divided,  we  bade  good-by  to  the 
balance  of  the  original  company  we  had  thus  overtaken, 
and  pursued  our  journey  without  further  entangling 
alliances  with  foreign  nations  or  companies. 

We  were  now  traveling  down  Humbolt  river,  named  in 
honor  of  the  famous  German  traveler,  having  struck  it  near 
its  source,  at  a  point  where  now  is  Elko,  a  station  of  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad.  We  followed  it  down  three  hun- 
dred miles,  tributaries  constant^  coming  in  until  at  last 
it  becomes  a  pretty  respectable  river.  After  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  it  gradually  diminishes,  and  at  the  end  of 
fifty  miles  more  it  sinks  into  the  earth  and  entirely  disap- 
pears, unless  possibly  to  rise  as  a  spring  in  the  bottom  of 
Humbolt  lake.  It  is  a  reminder  of  the  legendary  story  of 
the  river  in  China  where  Cublai  Khan  built,  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  a  summer  palace  on  the  Alph,  near 
where  it  is  said  to  sink  into  the  earth  and  is  thenceforth 


SINK  OF  THE  HUMBOLT.  79 

forever  lost,  and  to  which  Coleridge  alludes  in  his  weird 
poem,  the  opening  stanza  of  which  runs  thus: 

"  In  Xanadu  did  Cublai  Khan 
A  stately  palace  dome  decree, 
Where  Alph,  the  sacred  river,  ran 
By  caverns  measureless  to  man, 
Down  to  a  sunless  sea." 

This  is  the  famous  sink  of  the  Humbolt.  Any  one  who 
went  to  California  by  this  overland  route  in  the  early 
days,  and  conversed  with  another  of  like  experience,  was 
sure  to  hear  again  and  again  of  the  Humbolt,  the  sink,  and 
the  desert.  Upon  our  arrival  at  the  sink,  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  we  camped,  intending  to  give  our  horses 
rest  for  the  day,  and  cross  the  desert  by  night.  Here  soon 
a  division  of  opinion  developed  itself  among  the  party  as 
to  which  of  the  routes  should  be  taken.  Some  were  for 
taking  the  hilly  andmore  northerly  route  bearing  towards 
Oregon;  others,  and  the  majority,  were  in  favor  of  the 
more  southerly  route,  more  directly  towards  California, 
but  involving  the  desert  country.  I  protested  with  spirit 
against  the  desert  route.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon I  struck  out  alone  on  a  tour  of  reconnoitering  and  went 
down  the  southerly  route  five  or  six  miles,  where  the  road 
still  bore  directly  south  as  far  as  I  could  see.  I  turned 
back  fully  believing  that  I  had  seen  enough  to  convince 
the  others  that  I  was  right  and  they  were  wrong,  but  when 
irriving  in  camp  and  reporting,  I  found  them  unchangeable 
in  behalf  of  the  desert  route.  I  persuaded  one  of  them  to 
[o  with  me  to  the  top  of  a  hill  on  the  northern  route  to 

ike  observation  of  the  country.     This  settled  it  with  me, 


80  THE  ILL-FATED  DESERT  ROUTE. 

and  I  was  in  hopes  our  report  would  influence  the  majority, 
but  those  who  had  the  most  to  say  seemed  to  have  the 
least  knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  country.  They 
had  desert  on  the  brain,  and  desert  they  were  bound  to 
have.  I  remonstrated  again,  showed  them  how  it  was 
laid  on  the  map.  It  did  no  good,  for  instead  of  influencing 
them,  it  seemed  to  touch  their  pride,  or  rather  vanity. 
The  idea  of  a  seventeen  year  old  boy  attempting  to  dic- 
tate to,  or  even  instruct  grown  up  men,  was  prepos- 
terous! But  they  soon  wished  they  had  followed  the 
boy's  advice.  By  not  doing  so  the  majority  lost  their  lives. 
At  half  past  eight  o'clock  of  a  June  evening,  we  started 
on  that  ill-fated  route,  with  all  the  water  our  vessels  would 
hold,  some  even  carrying  a  bucket  in  their  hand.  They 
expected  to  cross  the  desert  by  daylight  the  next  morn- 
ing. Daylight  came,  but  it  brought  the  most  dismal 
and  dreary  prospect  men  ever  beheld.  0,  our  poor  famish- 
ing horses,  to  say  nothing  of  ourselves !  I  then  tried  to 
have  them  return  to  the  Humbolt  sink — but  no,  this  was 
the  true  route.  Then,  with  those  who  were  so  wise  we 
traveled  on  till  ten  o'clock,  when  we  came  to  one  of  those 
sand  mounds,  or  dunes,  on  the  north  side  of  which  were 
two  small  lakes,  and  some  coarse,  rough  bunches  of  grass, 
which,  when  we  first  saw  them,  raised  our  hopes,  and  even 
I  began  to  hope  that,  after  all,  I  was  wrong  in  my  conjec- 
tures, and  that  my  companions  were  right.  Now  one  of 
our  party,  a  wiseacre,  such  as  Artemus  Ward  would  call 
a  "knowledgeous  cuss,"  commenced  to  ridicule  me  upon 
my  knowledge,  or  assumed  knowledge  of  the  country, 
saying  "they  would  have  looked  well  to  have  followed  the 


ALKALI  WATER.  81 

advice  of  a  kid  that  had  just  left  his  mother— that  it  was 
a  pity  she  had  not  spanked  me  before  Heft  home  and  taken 
out  some  of  my  self-conceit."  I  told  him  the  right  of  such 
discipline  I  still  acknowledged  as  the  prerogative  of  my 
mother,  but  of  no  other  human  being;  and  if  he  thought 
he  could  do  the  duties  of  such  office,  he  was  then  and  there 
welcome  to  try  the  experiment.  Though  ill-tempered  and 
insulting,  he  did  not  then  proceed  to  violence. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  lakes,  judge  of  our  surprise  and 
disappointment  on  finding  the  water  of  the  strongest 
alkali.  Some  of  the  horses  got  a  few  swallows  before  they 
tasted  it ;  others  we  succeeded  in  keeping  away.  We  found 
some  springs  near  by,  but  they  were  hot,  some  boiling.  Rest- 
ing our  horses  here  for  an  hour,  we  again  started,  and 
pushed  on  over  the  dreary  waste  of  sand  till  night.  The 
day,  fortunately,  had  been  cool  and  cloudy.  Our  prospects, 
however,  were  as  gloomy  as  ever;  but  the  horses  must 
have  rest,  to  say  nothing  of  ourselves,  who  were  in  any- 
thing but  a  sweet  temper,  everybody  blaming  his  neigh- 
bor, and  every  one  coming  in  for  his  share  of  the  blame 
except  me.  As  I  had  fought  so  hard  against  the  route 
from  the  start,  no  one  presumed  to  blame  me,  not  even 
the  smart  aleck  who  had  ridiculed  the  kid. 

Old  Tiger,  the  horse  we  bought  before  crossing  the  Mis- 
souri, got  so  much  of  the  alkali  water  that  he  was  getting 
weaker  every  hour.  All,  in  fact,  were  failing  except  the 
Canadian  ponies;  they  were  all  right  and  plodded  right 
long  as  though  nothing  had  happened.  We  laid  over 
until  midnight  and  then  started  for— God  only  knew 
where,  for  we  all  confessed  we  did  not.      We  made  but 


DISTRESS  IN  THE  DESERT.  83 

poor  headway  that  night,  and  when  morning  came  we 
were  on  the  same  shingle  lava  that  rung  like  a  bell  when 
the  horses  stepped  on  it.  There  was  some  change  in  the 
prospects  in  the  morning.  We  could  see  some  low  shrubs 
ahead,  and  some  signs  of  vegetation,  little  patches  of 
sword  grass  with  sorry  attempts  at  better  grass  growing. 
Presently  the  mules  began  to  bray,  and  the  Canucks  to 
prick  up  their  ears,  sniff,  and  push  ahead.  We  knew  we 
were  coming  to  water.  0,  how  impatient  was  both  man 
and  beast  to  reach  the  expectant  water !  Words  are  value- 
less, and  fall  dead  and  meaningless  in  the  attempt  to 
decribe  such  a  scene  to  one  who  has  not  had  a  similar 
experience.  Poor  old  Tiger,  who  had  been  staggering 
along,  soon  stumbled  and  fell.  We  pulled  off  his  pack  and 
let  him  lie.  Some  were  for  killing  him,  but  Costler  and 
myself  would  not  permit  it.  From  that  time  on  the 
horses  began  to  drop,  one  after  another,  until  five  succumbed 
to  the  terrible  effects  of  famishing.  We  left  them  as  we 
left  Tiger,  and  went  on.  As  all  misery  must  have  an  end, 
so  did  ours,  when  at  last  we  reached  a  little  creek  of  fresh 
water  and  plenty  of  grass.  But  now  came  the  tug  of  war ; 
our  horses  and  mules  rushed  with  fury  for  the  water,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  control  them.  Mules  were 
braying,  horses  pawing  and  men  swearing,  a  wild  and 
crazy  orchestra  in  the  desert.  As  soon  as  we  got  the  sur- 
vivors watered  and  turned  out  to  grass,  some  of  us 
started  back  with  water  for  the  poor  beasts  that  had 
fallen  by  the  way.  The  farthest,  old  Tiger,  was  about 
five  miles  back.  What  was  our  surprise  when  we  met  the 
old  fellow,  staggering  on  a  few  rods  and  then  stopping  to 


84  SUFFERING  AND  DEATH  OF  HORSES. 

rest.  We  gave  him  about  a  gallon  of  water.  He  stood 
for  a  while  begging  hard  for  more,  like  Dickens'  school-boy 
at  Dotheboys  Hall,  then  started  off  in  a  half  trot  for  the 
camp,  whinnering  as  he  went.  We  met  three  others  of 
the  five  staggering  on  as  best  they  could,  and  to  each  we 
supplied  a  little  water,  but  the  fifth  had  bade  farewell  to 
the  trials  and  tribulations  of  the  desert  journey.  When 
we  got  back  to  camp  with  the  animals,  tired  and  worn- 
out  as  we  were,  we  enjoyed  the  consolation  of  a  cooked 
supper  and  a  good  drink  of  coffee  which  had  been  prepared 
for  us.  It  is  wonderful  the  change  in  one's  temper  effected 
by  the  comforts  of  a  satisfied  stomach.  Only  a  short 
time  before  every  one  was  cross  and  ready  to  quarrel  with 
the  first  who  would  tread  on  the  tail  of  his  coat,  but  now 
all  were  cheerful  and  sociable.  We  camped  here  nearly 
three  days,  and  by  that  time  our  teams  had  recruited, 
except  those  that  took  the  alkali  water — they  were  still 
weak  and  drooping. 

After  three  days'  rest  wre  traveled  on  at  easy  stages  for 
four  days,  when  we  became  convinced  that  we  had  lost  our 
point  of  compass  in  the  desert,  and  were  now  traveling  in 
the  direction  of  Oregon  instead  of  California ;  but  rather 
than  retrace  our  steps  across  that  one  hundred  and  five 
miles  of  desert,  we  concluded  to  keep  on  to  the  borders  of 
Oregon  and  take  our  chances  of  getting  down  to  Califor- 
nia. Better  had  it  been  for  most  of  us  had  we  struck  our 
tents  and  returned  to  the  desert.  The  fifth  night  out  we 
camped  at  the  mouth  of  a  deep  rock-walled  canon.  We 
had  seen  no  signs  of  Indians  since  leaving  Humbolt  and 
had  become  careless,  thinking  there  were  none  in  that  part 


SURPRISE  AND  MASSACRE.  85 

of  the  country,  turning  loose  the  horses  without  picketing 
them,  and  sitting  up,  telling  stories  and  singing  songs,  till 
rather  late,  when  we  turned  in  without  a  sentry,  not  hav- 
ing kept  one  since  leaving  Salt  Lake.  Soon  all  were  sound 
asleep,  none  dreaming  of  what  was  in  store  for  us.  Sud- 
denly we  were  aroused  by  the  ponies  rushing  into  camp, 
snorting  and  trembling,  and  no  one  could  drive  them  out. 
We  should  have  known  that  Indians  were  around  by  the 
actions  of  the  ponies,  for  they  always  gave  us  warning, 
had  we  not  supposed  we  were  entirely  out  of  the  Indian 
country.  But  hearing  nothing  of  the  other  horses  and 
mules,  which  seemed  to  be  feeding  quietly,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  ponies  had  been  frightened  by  wolves, 
which  were  plenty  in  that  region.  So  we  went  to  bed,  but 
only  for  a  brief  time,  when  we  were  again  aroused  by  yells 
that  could  come  from  none  but  the  throats  of  redskin 
devils.  In  an  instant  we  were  up  and  out.  The  devils 
were  trying  to  drive  the  ponies  out  of  camp.  We  gave 
them  a  warm  reception.  They  then  made  down  among 
the  horses  and  mules  and  drove  them  before  them,  all  the 
while  keeping  up  their  unearthly  yells.  The  Ohio  boys  were 
camped  more  to  one  side  of  us,^and  down  nearer  where 
the  horses  were  feeding.  Most  of  them  had  thrown  away 
their  guns,  consequently  there  was  no  shooting  among 
them,  but  they  ran  to  secure  their  horses  and  mules. 
rhen  the  Indians  got  among  them  they  let  fly  a  shower 
)f  arrows,  killing  three  men  dead  on  the  spot,  and  wound- 
ing four  more.  We  followed  up,  firing  after  them  in  the 
lark,  and  soon  made  it  so  hot  for  them  that  they  got 
tway  with  only  a  part  of  the  stock.    When  daylight  came 


86  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED. 

we  mustered  about  twenty  horses  all  told,  including,  I  am 
happy  to  say,  the  ponies  which  never  left  the  camp.    We 
buried  the  three  dead  comrades  in  one  grave,  and  cared  for 
the  four  wounded  as  best  we  could.    One  had  three  arrows 
in  his  body,  and  could  not  possibly  live  but  a  little  while; 
another  had  an  arrow  between  the  shoulder  blades,  and  it 
seemed  doubtful  if  he  could  live.    The  other  two  were  not 
so  severely  wounded,  but  the  arrows  were  poisoned,  so 
the  chances  were  against  them.    Then  we  commenced  to 
pack  up,  little  thinking  we  would   have  another  attack 
from  the  devils,  but  about  eight  o'clock  they  came  again 
in  hundreds,  showering  down  on  us  like  hell-hounds,  and 
sending  arrows  by  thousands.     The  very  hills  resounded 
with  their  yells.    There  was  only  one  course  to  pursue, 
and  that  was  for  every  man  to  do  the  best  he  could  for 
himself.    We  rushed  for  our  horses  which  were  close  by, 
but  on  our  way  out  poor  Jim  Pierson  was  struck  in  the 
neck  by  an  arrow,  just  a  little  ahead  of  me;  he  fell,  and 
before  he  had  time  to  rise  to  his  feet  a  red  devil  brained 
him  with  a  stone  tomahawk,  and  then  turned  on  me; 
but,  thank  God,  before  he  had  time  to  commit  another 
such  an  atrocious  and  cowardly  deed,  he  got  a  free  leaden 
passport  to  join  his  fathers  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 
I  only  wished  that  poor  Jim  could  have  known  that  his 
cruel  death  was  so  quickly  avenged.    Those  that  could 
reach  their  horses,  did  so,  and  rode  for  dear  life  for  the 
mouth  of  the  canon  where  the  Indians  had  blocked  us  off; 
but  we  were  bound  to  get  to  open  ground,  every  one 
shooting  his  way  through  until  he  got  into  the  open  field, 
when  we  called  the  roll  and  found  remaining  but  nine  out 


87 


88  SECOND  ATTACK— OLD  TIGE's  STAMPEDE. 

of  twenty-three.  We  halted  for  awhile  hoping  a  few  more 
stragglers  would  come  in,  but  we  waited  in  vain.  We 
loaded  our  guns  and  rode  back  to  the  mouth  of  the  canon 
and  fired  on  them,  taking  good  care  that  we  did  not  get 
hemmed  in,  but  the  devils  were  wary  of  our  guns  and 
made  for  the  side  hills  and  skulked  behind  the  rocks.  We 
got  one  poor  fellow  who  had  four  arrows  in  him.  He  had 
hidden  in  a  water-hole  among  some  rocks.  Others  had 
run  down  and  jumped  into  the  water  and  tried  to  hide 
themselves,  but  the  Indians  found  them  and  dispatched 
them,  and  such,  doubtless,  would  have  been  the  fate  of  the 
one  we  rescued,  had  not  our  second  attack  frightened 
them  away.  He  told  us  he  lay  in  the  water  with  a  big 
pond  lily  over  his  face,  when  the  Indians  found  another 
who  lay  not  ten  feet  from  him,  dragged  him  out  and 
butchered  him,  but  when  they  heard  our  shooting  they 
ran,  and  then  he  came  out. 

We  buried  them  all  that  afternoon.  They  were  stripped 
of  every  article  of  clothing,  and  even  the  poor  fellows 
that  we  had  buried  in  the  morning  had  been  dug  up  and 
stripped.  We  looked  around  for  something  they  might 
have  left,  but  there  was  nothing.  God  only  knew  what 
would  become  of  us;  we  did  not,  with  nothing  left 
but  our  arms  and  old  Tige.  John  See,  one  of  our 
boys,  had  put  the  pack  saddle  on  him,  the  bag  con- 
taining our  last  few  pints  of  flour,  and  hung  the  coffee- 
pot, kettle  and  frying-pan  to  the  saddle,  when  the 
stampede  started.  Tige  followed  us  through  pell-mell, 
kettle  and  frying-pan  rattling.  No  doubt  he  frightened  as 
many  Indians  as  we  did.    After  it  was  all  over,  one  of  the 


CONSULTATION.  89 

Idovs  said,  " Charlie,  you  are  wounded,  too" — and  sure 
enough,  I  was.  There  was  an  arrow,  shaft  and  all,  stick- 
ing in  my  back.  It  had  struck  me  just  over  the  kidneys, 
but  had  passed  through  three  or  four  folds  of  a  coarse 
woolen  shirt,  and  no  doubt  that  saved  my  life,  but  it  had 
entered  so  deep  into  the  flesh  that  it  had  to  be  cut  out 

We  stopped  there  until  after  dark  and  then  pulled  out, 
in  hopes  of  deceiving  the  redskins,  which  no  doubt  we  did, 
and  traveled  till  ten  o'clock  that  night,  when  we  lay  down, 
taking  good  care  not  to  be  surprised  again ;  then  up  at 
break  of  day  and  starting  anew,  and  traveling  on  till  nine 
o'clock,  when,  being  perfectly  exhausted,  we  took  a  rest 
and  had  a  consultation  as  to  what  to  do. 

Most  of  the  party  were  in  favor  of  returning.  It  was 
put  to  vote  and  seven  were  for  returning  to  the  sink  of  the 
Humbolt,  three  in  favor  of  going  on  through.  When 
asked  where,  none  could  tell.  Costler,  See,  and  myself 
were  for  going  on.  The  very  ones  that  had  been  so  deter- 
mined to  take  that  route,  were  the  ones  that  now  wanted 
to  go  back.  I  again  came  to  the  front.  No,  I  would  not 
go  back.  I  would  not  retrace  our  steps  over  three 
hundred  miles,  and  encounter  again  those  Indians  that 
had  massacred  nearly  two-thirds  of  our  party,  and  recross 
that  desert.  Besides,  our  horses  would  never  stand  it,  and 
if  they  did  we  would  be  farther  from  any  settlement  than 
we  probably  were  now.  They  thought  we  would  meet 
with  others  who  would  let  us  have  provisions.  I  said  we 
had  none  to  spare  when  we  were  at  the  sink,  and  more 
than  likely  those  that  followed  us  to  that  point  would  be 
in  like  condition;  that  I  firmly  believed  we  were  then  not 


90  DIVISION  OF  FLOUR  AND  COFFEE. 

more  than  two  or  three  hundred  miles  from  Oregon,  per- 
haps not  more  than  one  hundred  miles;  that  I  had  been 
led  off  there  against  my  judgment,  and  now  that  I  was 
there,  all  the  powers  of  hell  could  not  turn  me  back,  though 
every  man  desert  me.  Two  of  the  men  stood  with  me. 
We  each  had  a  horse,  and  old  Tige  extra,  but  he  was  down, 
and  it  was  plain  that  he  could  not  last  long.  We  were 
afraid  to  kill  and  eat  him,  thinking  he  being  poisoned  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  us.  So  we  agreed  to  a  fair  division 
of  the  flour  and  coffee,  for  that  was  all  we  had.  Every 
man  had  a  pint  cup  attached  to  his  belt.  We  found  we 
had  just  ten  pints  of  flour— just  one  pint  to  a  man — and 
six  pints  of  coffee,  which  we  divided  into  ten  parts.  The 
coffee  kettle  and  frying-pan  being  ours,  we  claimed  it — in 
fact  the  flour  was  ours  as  well.  It  was  now  about  noon 
and  time  to  start.  When  it  came  to  bidding  each  other 
good-by,  it  was  a  sad  and  painful  scene.  They  again  urged 
us  to  return  with  them.  Costler  and  See  would,  I  think, 
had  I  consented.  I  told  them  not  to  be  governed  or  influ- 
enced by  me ;  I  was  only  a  boy,  but  that  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  not  to  be  led  any  longer  by  any  one ;  that  I  was 
going  through  or  die  in  the  attempt,  even  if  every  man 
went  back.  Then  they  said  they  would  travel  with  us 
one  or  two  days  longer,  if,  on  finding  no  change,  we  would 
then  return  with  them.  I  told  them  I  would  never  retrace 
our  steps;  that  in  my  judgment  we  were  approaching  the 
route  leading  from  Oregon  to  California ;  that  we  should 
strike  the  road  and  stand  a  chance  of  falling  in  with  emi- 
grants even  if  we  did  not  strike  a  settlement  in  Oregon. 
That  settled  it.    It  had  never  occurred  to  them  before,  and 


DEATH  OF  OLD  TIGER.  91 

I  must  be  frank  enough  to  say  it  had  not  to  me.  So,  still 
an  undivided  company,  we  traveled  on  until  five  o'clock 
that  afternoon,  camped,  built  up  fires  as  though  we 
intended  to  stay  there  for  the  night,  but  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark  we  went  on  until  about  ten,  when  we  lay  down  and 
slept  till  daylight,  and  then  went  on  until  eight  or 
nine,  when  we  stopped,  made  coffee  and  baked  our  pan- 
cake. Our  allowance  was  three  spoonfuls  of  batter  each 
man — no  danger  of  gout  from  high  living;  then  after  a 
little  rest  we  went  on  till  five  o'clock,  then  rested  again  till 
dark,  and  so  on  until  the  fourth  day,  when  in  the  morning 
we  found  old  Tiger  had  passed  in  his  check.  I  think  there 
is  a  heaven  for  good  horses,  and  if  so,  I  think  "  Old  Tige  " 
found  a  large  balance  to  his  credit,  and  a  free  range  in 
green  pastures  and  by  clear  waters  in  the  celestial  realms 
where  weary  and  heavy  laden  horses  alone  find  rest. 

John  See  and  I  were  riding  a  little  ahead  of  the  rest 
when  we  saw  a  badger  and  killed  it.  We  thought  we  had 
a  prize,  and  stopped  a  little  earlier  that  night  to  cook  him. 
We  boiled  him,  but  when  we  tried  to  eat  him,  one  might 
as  well  have  undertaken  to  put  his  teeth  through  a  piece 
of  whitleather  as  through  any  part  of  that  badger.  So 
we  drank  the  broth,  or  rather  the  water  he  was  boiled  in, 
for  it  did  not  rise  to  the  dignity  of  broth,  even  to  us  fam- 
ishing men.  However,  we  carried  along  the  boiled  badg- 
er's remains,  riding  till  the  next  morning,  when  the  boys 
set  the  badger's  corpse  boiling  again.  It  was  rather  a 
warm  morning,  and  I  lay  down  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  and 
fell  asleep.  After  two  or  three  hours  John  See  said: 
•" Charlie,  get  up  and  have  some  of  your  badger."    The 


92  THE  BADGER  AND  THE  PANCAKE. 

shade  had  shifted  and  left  me  with  the  sun  shining  full  in  my 
face.  I  felt  sick,  and  the  nameof  badger  was  enough  for  me  ; 
my  stomach  revolted ;  I  could  not  even  look  at  the  badger, 
nor  could  I  taste  my  pancake.  One  of  the  party  pulled 
out  a  twenty  dollar  gold  piece  and  offered  it  to  me  for  my 
pancake.  I  told  him  the  money  was  of  no  use,  but  if  he 
wanted  the  cake  to  take  it.  But  the  rest  of  the  boys 
would  not  let  him  take  it,  and  told  me  to  put  it  in  my 
pocket  and  keep  it  until  my  stomach  settled.  So  I  folded 
it  up  and  put  it  in  my  vest  pocket  and  kept  it  till  night 
when  I  ate  it. 

Many,  doubtless,  who  may  read  this  narrative,  will  be 
curious  to  know  something  how  starving  men  feel,  and 
what  are  their  thoughts,  reflections,  and  even  dreams.  I 
can  only  say  to  those  who  have  had  no  such  experience, 
who  have  been  reared  and  lived  in  happy  homes  of  plenty 
and  comfort,  or  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  luxury  and  ease, 
that,  speaking  for  myself,  it  is  utterly  impossible  to 
describe  my  feelings  under  the  circumstances  related.  No 
language  yet  spoken  by  man  has  wealth  of  expression  suf- 
ficient to  convey  to  one  any  intelligent  or  appreciable  idea 
of  the  emotions,  anxieties,  distresses,  agonies,  fears,  weari- 
ness, despondency  and  faintness,  even  unto  death,  of  men 
so  situated.  As  a  slight  indication  of  my  mental  and 
physical  status  under  this  terrible  affliction,  I  will  state 
that,  while  riding  along  alone,  the  memory  of  every  good 
dinner  I  had  ever  eaten  in  my  life,  and  every  good  thing  I 
relished  in  childhood  of  my  mothers  cooking,  would  come 
back  with  such  an  impressing  reality  that  I  seemed  to 
taste  it  as  if  still  partaking  of  it.    I  dreamed  of  luxurious 


HOW  STARVING  MEN  FEEL.  9& 

meals  and  cool  drafts  of  water,  of  tea  and  coffee,  of  milk 
and  cream  at  home,  and  awoke  only  to  the  sad  reality 
that  it  was  all  a  dream.    Perhaps,  in  riding  along,  one  of 
the  boys  would  ride  up  by  my  side  as  mentally  weak, 
weary  and  faint  as  myself,  and  would  try  to  strike  up  a 
little  conversation,  cheerless,  petulant  and  unhappy  as 
that  of  cross  and  quarreling  children,  something  like  this : 
"Do  you  see  that  gap  in  the  mountain  ahead  of  us?" 
1 '  Yes . ' '    ' '  Well,  do  you  know  when  we  get  up  there,  I  think 
the  road  will  turn  to  the  south."    Then  the  sudden  and 
petulant  response*     "  What  in  blank  do  you  know  about 
the  road ;  were  you  ever  there ?"    "Well,  you  need  not  be 
so  cross  about  it ;  I  probably  know  as  much  about  it  as 
you  do."     "Well,  if  you  knew  so  blanked  much  about  the 
road,  what  in  blank  are  you  here  for,  lost  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains?"    This  specimen  of  unhappy  social 
intercourse  is  to  show  the  weakness  of  both  mind  and 
body  among  men  naturally  kind  and  friendly  and  imbued 
with  sympathies  resulting  from  common  sorrows.    We 
had  become  weak  and  petulant  children.    In  the  midst  of 
our  reflections,  perchance  a  horse  would  stumble  and  fall. 
••Poor  brute,"  we  could  only  say,  "may  the  Lord  pity  the 
poor  horse,"  for  we  seemed  to  have  no  mercy.    These  un- 
happy feelings  were  apt  to  possess  us  generally  about  an 
hour  after  eating  our  little  cake,  when  our  stomachs  were 
onawing  the  reason  and  judgment  out  of  our  brains,  as 
then   we   were   weak   and   stomach-sick,  but   agreeable 
enough  to  each  other  generally. 


94  RIDING  AHEAD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Another  Comrade  Killed — Eleven  Dead  Indians — Provisions  Gone 
—Shall  a  Horse  be  Killed— Wagon  Trail  Discovered— Hope 
Revived  —  Great  Rejoicing  —  Oregon  Party  —  Rescued  —  The 
Women — Mush  and  Milk — Price  of  Provisions — Yankee  Doodle 
Beef  — Cutting  Out  the  Arrow— Indian  Camp  Surprised— The 
Captain's  Hopeful  Son  —  Pulling  the  Captain's  Tooth  —  The 
Quack  Doctor. 

ON  the  fifth  day  after  the  boys  were  killed,  when  we 
had  camped  and  made  our  coffee  and  cakes,  one  of 
the  party's  horse  having  gone  lame,  he  thought  he  would 
walk  on  ahead  and  lead  his  horse,  and  we  would  overtake 
him.  We  all  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  go  alone,  but 
he  was  determined  and  we  were  not  in  the  best  of  humor ; 
but  go  he  would  and  did,  and  we  said  no  more.  We  re- 
mained about  two  hours  after  he  left,  and  then  started. 
After  about  two  hours,  John  See  and  I  being  about 
two  hundred  yards  ahead  of  the  rest,  we  heard  a  terrible 
noise,  and  listened,  and  at  once  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  were  Indians  ahead.  I  held  the  horses  while  See 
went  cautiously  and  looked  around  a  bend  of  the  spur  of 
a  hill.  He  soon  returned,  and  the  other  boys  coming  up 
and  seeing  John's  movements,  knew  something  was  not 
right,  and  he  reported  what  he  had  seen.  We  left  the 
horses  with  the  wounded  man  and  crawled  around  the 


DEATH  OF  FREDDY.  95 

point,  when  a  strange  sight  presented  itself.  There  were 
at  least  thirty  Indians  around  a  big  fire  having  a  high  old 
time,  yelling,  howling,  laughing,  others  feasting.  We  got 
around  the  point,  unobserved  by  them,  and  within  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards,  when  we  all  took  deliberate  aim  and 
fired,  then  rushed  upon  them,  yelling  as  loud  as  any  of 
those  devils  ever  did,  and  at  the  same  time  firing  our  re- 
volvers at  them.  Only  two  of  us,  however,  had  Colt's 
revolvers ;  others  had  "  Allen's  pepper-boxes,"  as  the  early 
style  of  revolvers  were  called.  The  Indians  were  as  much 
taken  by  surprise  as  we  were  a  few  days  before,  and  ran 
for  their  lives  as  we  did,  that  is,  those  that  had  lives  to 
run  for,  for  some  of  them  bit  the  dust,  and  some  that  were 
not  dead  but  only  wounded  when  we  reached  them,  im- 
mediately started  on  their  journey  to  the  happy  hunting 
ground  of  Manitou  the  Mighty.  On  looking  around  we 
soon  found  the  lifeless  body  of  Freddy,  the  only  name  we 
knew  him  by,  his  clothes  stripped  off  and  fourteen  arrows 
in  him.  His  gun  lay  by  his  side,  discharged,  and  the  stock 
broken.  Near  him  lay  three  redskins,  which  testified  to 
the  severity  of  the  conflict  and  the  heroism  of  our  com- 
panion. We  buried  the  poor  boy  as  well  as  we  could,  and 
left  with  only  the  slight  consolation  that  there  were  eleven 
less  Indians  in  this  world  than  an  hour  before. 

We  traveled  that  night  without  stopping,  as  we  formerly 
had,  and  did  not  camp  till  ten  in  the  morning.  Our  pro- 
visions were  now  all  gone,  no  flour,  and  only  coffee 
enough  to  make  two  more  drinks.  Our  reasons  for  not 
Jailing  a  horse  before  were,  if  we  did  so  it  would  put  at 
least  three  of  us  on  foot,  and  that  would  retard  our  prog- 


96  FRESH  WAGON  TRAIL— REJOICING. 

ress,  and  that  so  long  as  the  flour  lasted  we  had  deter- 
mined not  to  kill  one. 

Now  the  question  presented  itself,  whose  horse  was  to 
be  killed.  My  "Billey"  was  in  the  best  condition,  and 
some  proposed  to  kill  him.  I  objected,  and  the  matter  was 
dropped  until  we  halted  the  next  morning,  when  the  horse 
killing  bill  was  again  offered  in  council.  I  offered  to  cast 
lots,  and  if  it  fell  to  my  horse  I  would  accept  the  result 
in  silence,  but  not  without.  Blank,  the  man  who  had  so 
much  to  say,  when  we  left  the  Humbolt,  about  the  boy 
that  had  just  left  his  mother,  spoke  up  and  said  he  was 
not  going  to  pick  bones  when  there  was  plenty  of  meat, 
and  took  his  gun  to  shoot  Billey.  Upon  that  I  took  my 
pistol  out  and  stepped  up  to  him,  telling  him  that  as  sure 
as  he  shot  that  horse  I  would  give  him  an  immediate 
interview  with  his  Maker.  For  that  he  did  not  seem  ta 
feel  prepared,  and  desisted.  All  the  rest  were  against  him, 
saying  that  I  only  demanded  what  was  fair  for  all.  Then 
we  all  agreed  to  defer  the  killing  till  afternoon,  camp  early, 
and  kill  and  have  a  good  feast.  So  we  started  with  that 
understanding  and  traveled  until  about  two  o'clock. 
While  we  were  on  the  lookout  for  a  good  place  to  camp 
and  kill,  we  came  around  a  short  turn,  where,  to  our  great 
surprise  and  joy,  we  came  upon  a  fresh  wagon  trail,  not 
more  than  three  days  old — a  very  fresh  track  to  us. 

Had  an  angel  from  Heaven  come  down  and  invited  us  to 
dine  in  the  meads  of  Asphodel,  he  could  not  have  been 
received  with  greater  rejoicing  or  with  more  grateful 
hearts  than  was  the  sight  of  that  simple  wagon  trail, 
three  days  old,  in  the  rocky  recesses  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 


OREGON  PARTY  OVERTAKEN.  97 

mountains.  We  shouted  and  laughed,  shook  hands,  yes, 
and  cried.  Even  good  Blank  came  to  me  and  asked  me 
to  forgive  him,  showered  compliments  on  me,  said  I  was  a 
good  boy,  that  he  never  intended  to  shoot  Billey,  that  it 
was  a  good  thing  it  so  turned  out,  as  otherwise  we  should 
have  had  to  kill  a  horse  and  that  would  have  put  us  back, 
and  now  we  were  sure  to  be  all  right.  And  as  for  myself,  I 
would  have  forgiven  anybody  or  anything  but  an  Indian. 
We  followed  that  trail  until  we  reached  their  camp  of  the 
night  before.  Then  we  lay  down,  but  were  up  again  in  the 
morning  betimes,  and  soon  struck  their  last  camp,  when 
we  felt  sure  of  overtaking  the  party  within  three  hours. 
But  our  horses  began  to  lag,  and  we  were  so  worn  out  and 
weak  that  when  we  got  off  we  had  to  be  helped  on  again- 
Not  one  had  strength  to  mount  his  horse  without  assist- 
ance. The  arrow  wound  in  my  back  was  greatly  inflamed 
and  very  sore.  I  had  done  nothing  for  it  except  that  the 
boys  used  to  wash  it ;  and  as  for  the  other  wounded  man, 
how  he  ever  stood  it  to  ride  as  he  did  and  live,  has  always 
been  a  mystery  to  me.  He  had  four  arrow  wounds  in  his 
body,  and  was  red  all  over  with  inflammation,  and  swollen 
as  full  as  his  skin  could  hold,  and  so  weak  he  could  hardly 
sit  on  his  horse,  but  he  bore  it  all  without  a  murmur. 
Two  or  three  of  the  horses  began  to  stop  and  refuse  to  go, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  leave  them.  It  was  then 
thought  best  for  those  who  could,  to  ride  ahead  and  get 
the  train  to  stop.  Gostler,  See  and  myself  went  and  over- 
took them  just  as  the  party  had  rested  for  the  day.  As 
soon  as  they  heard  our  pitiful  story,  they,  like  true  mount- 
aineers, volunteered  to  go  back  and  meet  those  we  had 


98  THE  RESCUE— MUSH  AND  MILK. 

left  behind.  A  light  wagon  was  hitched  up  and  a  small 
party  of  horsemen  galloped  back,  followed  by  the  wagon, 
to  bring  the  wounded  man  in,  and  as  for  me,  I  began  to 
think  I  was  in  Paradise.  They  proved  to  be  a  party  of 
emigrants  from  Oregon  bound  for  California,  and  taking 
all  their  stock  with  them.  They  had  cows,  calves,  pigs, 
sheep,  and  even  hens  and  turkeys,  moving  with  their  out- 
fit for  the  new  gold  fields. 

No  sooner  had  our  party  been  brought  in  than  the 
women  of  the  emigrant  party,  having  learned  of  our  starv- 
ing condition,  with  that  natural  propensity  that  prompts 
the  heart  of  woman,  set  about  the  work  of  cooking,  each 
trying  to  surpass  the  "other  in  generous  acts.  I  was  lying 
on  the  ground  in  front  of  a  tent  when  an  elderly  woman 
came  out  and  invited  me  into  her  tent  and  gave  me  a  bowl 
of  mush  and  milk.  I  never  tasted  anything  so  good,  and 
it  is  needless  to  say  I  was  not  long  in  putting  it  out  of 
sight,  and  then,  like  Oliver  Twist,  asked  for  more.  But  the 
old  lady  refused  me.  I  told  her  I  had  money,  that  I  did 
not  want  it  for  nothing.  It  was  not  money,  she  said,  but 
that  too  much  was  not  good  for  me.  I  could  not  under- 
stand the  dear  old  lady's  philosophy.  I  had  had  nothing 
to  eat  for  a  long  time,  and  was  now  where  there  was 
plenty,  was  hungry  and  willing  to  pay,  and  why  couldn't 
she  let  me  have  it  ?  Weak  in  mind  almost  as  in  body,  like 
a  disappointed  and  unhappy  child,  I  got  up  to  leave  her 
tent,  feeling  that,  after  all,  she  was  a  stingy  old  creature, 
unwilling  to  give  a  starving  man  only  so  little,  even  when 
he  was  willing  to  pay  for  it.  But  just  as  I  had  stepped 
outside,  up  came  another  bowl  of  the  delicious  mush  and 


GENEROUS  OREGON  WOMEN.  99 

milk.  The  old  lady  stood  by  quietly  looking  on,  and  when 
I  had  finished  it,  she  said  in  a  most  gentle  and  motherly 
tone,  "Now,  young  man,  you  are  welcome  to  more  and  all 
you  want."  She  knew  better  than  I  did  how  to  treat  the 
empty  stomach  of  a  long  fasting  and  famishing  man. 

The  wounded  man  and  all  our  panty  being  in,  the  de- 
voted women  had  something  of  every  kind  they  had  cooked, 
and  it  was  brought  out  and  everyone  invited  to  eat,  which 
we  all  did,  though  some  afterwards  paid  dearly  for  their 
lack  of  judgment  and  excesses.  No  one  ever  saw  poor 
fellows  in  such  misery  as  the  most  of  us  were  in.  I  was 
not  as  bad  as  the  rest,  for  the  mush  and  milk  administered 
by  the  sagacious  and  prudent  old  lady  had  prepared  my 
stomach  for  the  severer  ordeal  it  had  to  undergo  in  receiv- 
ing an  undue  quantity  of  bacon  and  eggs  and  hot  biscuit, 
just  the  food  our  stomachs  were  unprepared  for,  and  under 
the  cravings  of  which  we  had  neither  judgment  nor 
prudence. 

The  Oregonians  very  generously  offered  to  lay  over  a 
day  that  we  might  rest  ourselves  and  horses,  which  were 
as  much  worn  out  as  we  were.  They  told  us  Indians  were 
ahead  of  us  and  that  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  travel 
with  them,  an  invitation  we  most  gladly  accepted. 
They  always  kept  out  scouts  to  look  out  for  the  noble 
Indian,  and  woe  to  the  red  devil  that  crossed  their  path. 
They  told  us  that  the  tribe  that  killed  so  many  of  our 
party,  were  the  Goose  Lake  Indians.  That  those  we  were 
among  now  were  an  Upper  California  tribe,  and  that  in 
all  probability  those  that  killed  Freddy  were  of  the  same 
tribe,  as  it  was  far  south  of  the  Goose  Lake  country,  and 


100  A  DOLLAR    A   POUND. 

the  lake  tribe  was  not  likely  to  encroach  upon  the  Feather 
river  tribes.  They  held  over  two  whole  days  for  our  party 
to  recruit,  then  traveled  by  short  and  easy  stages,  starting 
at  eight  in  the  morning  and  camping  about  two  in  the 
afternoon,  making  only  about  fifteen  miles  a  day,  which 
was  a  great  relief  to  our  poor  fagged  and  jaded  horses.  But 
judge  of  our  surprise  when  we  came  to  buy  provisions  of 
them.  Only  think,  ye  who  never  paid  more  than  three 
or  four  cents  a  pound  for  flour  by  the  barrel  or  sack  in  the 
scarcest  times,  of  paying  a  dollar  a  pound  for  everything, 
flour,  meat,  coffee,  and  even  salt.  The  captain  of  the 
party  was  a  shrewd  man  and  a  money  maker.  He  was 
well  to  do,  and  had  plenty  of  stock  and  money.  He  had 
already  been  in  California  and  had  done  well,  and  knew 
just  what  he  was  doing  now,  and  what  would  be  the  out- 
come of  his  present  enterprise.  He  offered  to  buy  our 
horses  at  fifty  dollars  a  head,  and  let  us  ride  them— that 
is,  if  we  would  remain  with  them.  Of  course  before  we 
got  in  the  proceeds  of  the  horses,  the  fifty  pounds 
of  provisions  would  have  been  eaten  up.  Some  of 
the  boys  were  compelled  to  sell  as  they  had  no  money;; 
and  probably  we  would  all  have  been  necessitated  to 
do  the  same  had  it  not  been  for  a  lucky  circumstance 
that  happened.  He  was  very  obliging;  anything  we 
wanted  that  he  had  we  could  have,  of  course  by  paying 
a  dollar  a  pound.  We  wanted  some  beef,  and  he  offered 
to  kill  a  fat  one  if  we  would  take  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds ;  it  was  only  to  oblige  us.  We  consented  to  take 
it ;  but  judge  of  our  surprise  when  the  fat  beef  turned  out 
to  be  a  little  runt  of  a  nine  months  heifer.    It  reminded 


YANKEE  DOODLE  BEEF.  101 

me  of  the  song  descriptive  of  the  beef  that  Yankee  Doodle 
killed,  which  took  two  men  to  hold  it  up  while  Mr.  Doodle 
knocked  it  down.  For  beef  this  poor  little  heifer  took  the 
cake.  But  what  were  we  to  do  ?  We  must  have  meat, 
and  had  to  have  it ;  besides,  we  were  not  very  particular, 
any  tasted  good,  and  such  appetites  as  we  had  were  un- 
controllable; we  were  eating  all  the  time,  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  some  or  all  of  us  were  sick.  The  poor  fellow 
that  was  wounded  had  to  be  carried  in  the  wagon,  getting 
worse  every  day,  and  his  wounds  a  sight  to  behold.  The 
Oregonians  were  very  good  to  him,  especially  the  women, 
who  looked  after  him  and  dressed  his  wounds,  and  were 
as  kind  to  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  brother.  But  he  had 
now  become  peevish  as  a  child,  and  grumbled  and  fretted 
and  almost  seemed  ungrateful  in  return  for  their  kind  care. 
I  never  saw  such  a  change  in  anyone  in  my  life.  Doubtless 
he  suffered  greatly  from  the  jar  and  jolting  of  the  wagon; 
besides,  I  think  he  knew  he  could  not  live,  and  that  still 
more  disturbed  his  weakened  mind.  He  lived  only  till  we 
got  into  Lessen 's,  and  died  during  the  night — was  found 
dead  in  the  morning.  He  was  the  sixteenth  of  our  party 
killed  by  the  Indians. 

My  own  wound  was  now  progressing  as  well  as  could 
be  expected.  As  the  arrow  had  been  cut  out,  the  wound 
bled  freely.  No  doubt  the  poison  was  drawn  out  so  largely 
as  to  be  ineffective,  and  I  applied  some  salve  that  my 
brother,  the  doctor,  gave  me,  which  proved  beneficial.  On 
the  whole,  it  was  just  as  well  that  old  George  drank  the 
brandy,  for  otherwise  it  would  have  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians,  and  the  quinine  too,  had  we  not,  after  dis- 


102  THE   CAPTAIN'S  HOPEFUL  SON. 

covering  George's  affection  for  the  jug,  carried  the  other 
medicines  on  our  persons — Costler  the  quinine  and  I  the 
salve — thus  saving  it  in  our  retreat  that  fatal  morning. 
One  evening,  after  camping,  a  scout  of  the  Oregon  party 
rode  in  and  reported  a  party  of  Indians  camped  about  five 
miles  ahead,  about  twenty  in  number;  that  having  seen 
signs  of  the  band  he  had  followed  on  unobserved  until  he 
found  them  camped;  that  they  had  evidently  been  there 
some  time,  as  they  had  built  huts.  All  were  up  in  arms  in 
a  few  minutes,  and  ready  to  start  for  them.  The  women 
were  as  much  excited  as  the  men.  But  the  captain  put  a 
stop  to  their  haste;  told  them  the  better  plan  would  be 
to  wait  till  night  and  crawl  carefully  out  and  bag  the 
whole  party.  His  plan  was  adopted,  and  guns  were 
cleaned  and  ammunition  looked  after.  It  was  arranged 
that  some  should  remain  with  the  women  and  children, 
and  the  rest  to  start  about  eleven  o'clock,  surround  their 
camp,  and  at  a  signal  rush  in  and  surprise  the  ferocious 
native.  Three  of  our  party  volunteered — there  was  no 
lack  of  volunteers,  the  trouble  was,  all  wanted  to  go, 
which  would  leave  the  home-guard  too  small.  But  the 
women  were  not  afraid  to  remain  alone ;  they  wanted  the 
"red  devils  rubbed  out,"  as  they  expressed  it.  While  the 
preparation  was  being  made  for  the  raid  upon  the  Indian 
camp,  an  amusing  little  incident  occurred .  The  captain  had 
a  little  dumpy  stub  of  a  boy,  some  six  or  seven  years  old, 
about  as  thick  as  he  was  long,  who  came  stubbing  up  to 
his  father,  saying:  " Fader,  fader,  I  want  you  to  buy  me 
a  wyfle."  "  What  do  you  want  a  rifle  for,  my  son?"  said 
the  father.     "I  want  to  shoot  the  Ingins,"  replied  the  pre- 


INDIANS  SURPRISED  AND  SLAIN.  103 

cocious  son  and  heir,  emphasizing  his  answer  with  one  of 
his  father's  most  profane  curses.  "That's  right, my  son," 
said  his  father,  "  I'll  buy  you  a  rifle,"  and  his  eye  beamed 
with  fatherly  pride.  He  was  proud  of  his  son's  speech, 
and,  doubtless,  regarded  him  as  a  rising  young  Norval.  I 
think  if  that  boy  had  cut  down  all  the  cherry  trees  in 
Oregon,  and  then  lied  about  it,  the  old  man  would  have 
cheerfully  gone  his  bail  and  carried  up  the  case.  If  the 
biography  of  that  father  has  ever  been  written  and  placed 
in  the  libraries  of  Oregon,  it  will  probably  be  found  that 
he  was  not  a  descendant  of  a  Puritan  family. 

It  was  midnight  when  we  started,  and  half-past  two 
when  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the  Indian  camp.  Their  fires 
were  burning  dimly.  The  captain  ordered  a  halt,  and 
then  he  crawled  up  a  little  nearer  and  reconnoitered. 
There  were  eighteen  of  our  party.  The  captain  returned, 
placed  the  men  about  equal  distance  apart  around  the 
camp,  and  ordered  each  to  crawl  silently  to  within  about 
one  hundred  yards  of  the  camp,  and  there  lie  perfectly 
quiet  till  a  signal  from  him,  when  we  should  come  down 
upon  them.  It  was  understood  that  the  raid  was  to  tie 
made  just  at  break  of  day,  or  when  light  enough  to  see 
that  none  escaped.  Judging  from  the  systematic  manner 
in  which  he  went  about  the  work,  I  think  it  was  not  the 
first  Indian  camp  he  had  surprised.  I  had  lain  full  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  when  the  signal  was  given  by  one 
most  unearthly  yell  from  the  captain.  The  prime  object 
thereof  was  to  bring  the  redskins  out  of  their  tents.  In  an 
instant  every  man  was  on  his  feet,  running  and  yelling  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell 


104  REFLECTIONS  ON  THE  NECESSITIES. 

the  story,  twenty-seven  wild  and  ferocious  Indians  were 
changed  into  harmless  spirits  of  the  air,  never  more  to 
take  the  war-path  or  surprise  and  slaughter  a  party  of 
emigrants. 

Some  may  think  it  was  a  cruel  and  unmanly  proceed- 
ing, but  had  those  who  think  so  been  situated  as  we 
were — whose  companions  had  been  massacred  before  our 
eyes ;  whose  dead  of  a  few  days  before  still  lay  naked  and 
unburied  in  the  canon,  and  those  we  hastily  buried  ex- 
humed and  stripped  of  their  grave  clothes ;  driven  to  the 
extreme  verge  of  starvation;  saved  from  death  only  by 
the  mere  chance  of  having  fallen  in  with  another  party ; 
standing  guard  by  night,  and  sending  out  scouts  by  day 
to  look  out  for  a  ferocious  enemy,  as  the  man-eating  tiger 
lurking  near  villages  and  isolated  homes  in  Hindustan  is 
watched  for  and  hunted  by  the  natives  —  I  think,  if 
happily  they  survived  to  return,  it  would  be  with  modified 
views  of  the  emigrants'  dealings  with  the  plundering  and 
murderous  tribes  of  the  interior  of  the  continent  in  the 
year  of  grace  '49. 

Still,  if  anyone  thinks  otherwise,  and  believes  that  a  free 
and  roving  tribe,  uncontrolled  by  military  force,  can  be 
humanized  and  civilized  by  any  process  known  to  civilized 
or  Christianized  man,  I  nevertheless  would  warn  him  not 
to  risk  his  person  among  them.  Powder,  not  prayer,  is 
their  only  civilizer.  You  cannot  manage  him  by  reasoning 
with  him  and  persuading  him,  as  the  wag  said  he  con- 
trolled his  vicious  and  cantankerous  mule.  Nothing  will 
convert  an  Indian  like  convincing  him  that  you  are  his 
superior,  and  there  is  but  one  process  by  which  even  that 


THE  EMIGRANT'S  ENEMY.  105 

can  be  done,  and  that  is  to  shut  off  his  wind.  I  never 
knew  but  one  "truly  good"  Indian,  and  he  was  dead.  I 
have  heard  considerable  romance,  from  persons  inexperi- 
enced, about  the  brave  and  noble  red  man,  but  I  never  yet 
have  met  one.  All  I  have  ever  known  have  been  cowardly 
and  treacherous,  never  attack  like  men,  but  crawl  upon 
you,  three  or  four  to  one,  and  shoot  you  down,  as  they 
did  sixteen  of  our  party  in  the  canon.  Then  why  not  at- 
tack them,  not  wait  to  be  attacked  by  them,  and  then 
only  in  self-defense  take,  perhaps,  one  of  their  worthless 
lives?  In  all  modern  civilized  warfare,  to  surprise  the 
enemy  and  kill,  if  they  do  not  surrender,  is  the  climax  of 
military  renown.  The  world  applauds,  congress  promotes, 
parliament  does  likewise,  graciously  voting  the  hero 
of  the  hour,  at  the  same  time,  a  little  hundred  thousand 
pounds  and  a  dukedom,  and  even  bishops,  priests  and 
clergy  offer  prayers  and  incense  to  divine  Providence  for 
the  delivery  of  their  equally  civilized  and  equally  honor- 
able and  patriotic  enemy  into  their  hands !  But  if  a  party 
of  emigrants  surprise  and  annihilate  a  band  of  Indians, 
who,  perhaps,  only  the  day  before  had  murdered  every 
man,  woman  and  child  of  a  large  train,  and  spattered  the 
wagon  wheels  with  the  brains  of  babes,  why,  the  Christian 
world  holds  up  its  hands  in  breathless  horror.  But  what 
is  the  difference?  The  Indian  is  the  emigrant's  enemy.  If 
the  emigrant  gets  the  advantage,  why  should  he  not  take 
it,  for  most  surely  the  Indian  will?  I  do  not  believe  in 
wanton  cruelty  to  the  Indian,  but  when  you  are  in  a  coun- 
try where  you  know  he  is  your  enemy,  and  is  not  only 
waiting  his  chance  but  looking  out  for  his  opportunity, 


106  HISTORICAL  PARALLEL. 

why  not  cut  him  down,  as  otherwise  he  most  surely  will 
you? 

Nearly  two  hundred  years  ago  the  peaceful  settlers  of 
New  England  had  a  mournful  experience  with  the  local 
tribes  of  Indians,  less  ferocious,  it  is  believed,  than  the 
tribes  of  the  interior  of  the  present  day.  The  well  known 
history  of  Mrs.  Dustin  of  Haverill,  Massachusetts,  who, 
in  1697,  was  carried  off  with  her  infant,  only  a  week  old, 
and  her  nurse,  is  an  impressive  instance  of  savagery  and 
the  heroism  and  glorious  triumph  of  a  noble  and  dis- 
tressed woman.  She  was  taken  from  her  bed,  half  dressed, 
and,  without  shoes  or  stockings,  exposed  to  the  cold 
March  winds.  They  took  her  northward  by  canoes,  up 
the  Merrimac  to  a  point  near  Concord,  New  Hampshire. 
They  had  killed  the  babe  at  the  outset.  Here  they  rested 
for  the  night  with  an  Indian  family.  Getting  some  intima- 
tion that  they  were  soon  to  suffer  shocking  cruelty,  Mrs. 
Dustin  resolved  to  attempt  escape,  and  laid  her  plans  with 
her  nurse,  Mary  Neff,  and  a  boy  prisoner,  named  Leonard- 
son.  At  midnight,  when  the  savages  were  asleep,  Mrs. 
Dustin,  the  nurse  and  boy  killed  the  Indians,  took  off 
their  scalps,  scuttled  all  the  canoes  but  one  to  prevent 
pursuit,  and  set  off  down  the  river  for  Haverill.  They 
reached  home  with  the  scalps  as  evidence  of  their  prowess,, 
and  then  found  safety  in  Boston. 

Happily  now  there  is  a  little  light  in  the  east  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  justifiable  treatment  of  the  savage  by  the  mod- 
ern emigrant,  for,  as  recentty  as  1874,  the  humane  and 
gentle  descendants  of  the  Pilgrims  have  delineated  in  im- 
perishable marble  the  thrilling  story  of  Mrs.  Dustin.    A 


REJOICING  IN  CAMP.  107 

monument  to  her  and  her  companions  has  been  erected 
near  the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  On  a  pedestal,  bearing 
appropriate  inscriptions,  is  a  statue  of  Mrs.  Dustin,  repre- 
sented as  holding  a  tomahawk  in  her  right  hand  and  a 
bunch  of  scalps  in  the  other.  The  arms  are  bare  to  the 
shoulders.  The  right  hand  is  raised  in  the  attitude  of 
striking.  The  hair  is  loose  and  flowing,  and  the  body  is 
enclosed  in  graceful  drapery.  One  of  the  inscriptions  gives 
the  names  of  the  two  women  and  the  boy,  as  follows: 
"  Hannah  Dustin,  Mary  Neff,  and  Samuel  Leonardson, 
March  30,  1697,  Midnight." 

It  may  possibly  be  inferred  from  this  digression  touching 
the  general  traits  of  the  Indian,  that  I  am  not  an  ardent 
admirer  of  the  character,  manners  and  customs  of  Mr.  Lo. 
I  confess  I  did  intend  so  to  be  understood. 

When  we  returned  to  our  camp,  about  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  all  was  excitement,  and  everyone  wanted  to 
hear  the  news  and  its  minutest  particular,  and  each  one 
had  to  relate  it  to  another,  as  there  was  no  war  corres- 
pondent in  our  party,  nor  a  newspaper  reporter  on  that 
night's  battle-field.  It  was  a  day  of  general  rejoicingin  our 
camp,  and  of  course  no  traveling,  as  we  had  been  out  all 
night  and  wanted  sleep.  The  captain  caught  a  cold  which 
resulted  in  a  jumping  toothache,  and  he  was  raving  and 
rearing  mad.  John  See  asked  him  why  he  did  not  have  it 
pulled.  "  How  can  I  have  it  pulled?  "said  he.  "We  have  no 
doctor;  besides,  it  is  a  double  tooth."  See  told  him  we 
had  a  doctor  in  our  party,  and  came  to  me,  saying, 
"Charlie,  I  have  a  job  for  you."  "What  is  it  ?"  said  I.  "To 
pull  the  captain's  tooth."   "  Why,  "said  I,  "I  never  pulled  a 


108  THE  CAPTAIN  HAS  THE    TOOTHACHE. 

tooth  in  my  life."  "It  don't  matter,"  said  John,  "you 
have  got  to  pull  his,  for  I  told  him  you  were  a  doctor  and 
a  first-rate  hand  at  pulling  teeth,  so  you  have  got  to  pull 
his  or  make  me  out  a  liar."  "Why,  "said  I,  "I  might  break 
his  jaw."  "Damn  the  odds,"  said  he,  "you've  got  to  pull 
it,  and,  what  is  more, make  him  pay  for  it."  "What!" said 
I,  "shall  I  charge  five  dollars?"  "Five  dollars  be 
blanked,"  said  John,  "don't  charge  him  less  than  twenty 
dollars."  "He  charges  us  a  dollar  a  pound  for  his  old 
musty  flour,  and  surely  any  doctor  would  charge  twenty 
pounds  of  flour  for  pulling  a  tooth."  Well,  John  per- 
suaded me  to  make  the  attempt.  It  so  happened  I  had  a 
pair  of  those  old-fashioned  "turnkeys "doctors  formerly 
used,  which  were  given  me  by  my  brother,  the  doctor,  in 
Illinois,  when  I  started.  They  looked  more  like  a  "cant- 
hook"  used  for  rolling  logs  in  a  saw-mill  than  like  the 
instrument  now  used  by  dentists  for  extracting  molars. 
In  a  short  time  the  captain  came  in  great  agony,  holding 
his  hand  firmly  against  his  jaw.  "Doctor,"  said  he,  "I 
want  you  to  pull  a  tooth  for  me."  With  the  gravity  of 
a  bona  fide  M.  D., I  said,  "Let  me  look  at  it."  I  looked  at 
it  and  pronounced  it  a  very  bad  one,  and  advised  him  not 
to  have  it  pulled.  I  knew  he  was  in  such  agony  he  would 
have  it  out  any  way,  and  my  advice  was  only  a  profes- 
sional ruse,  partly  to  impress  his  mind  with  the  certain 
belief  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  an  experienced  and 
prudent  surgeon,  but  more  especially  for  the  reason  that 
if,  perchance,  I  should  break  his  jaw,  or  carry  away  a 
portion  of  his  head,  I  could  plead  to  an  action  for  mal- 
practice that  he  had  been  forewarned  of  the  danger  of  the 


PULLING  THE  CAPTAIN'S  TOOTH.  109 

operation,  but  persisted  therein  against  my  advice.  John 
was  standing  off  a  short  distance,  gesticulating  for  me  to 
go  ahead.  So  I  got  the  captain  seated  on  the  ground, 
with  his  head  between  my  knees,  got  out  my  lance  (jack- 
knife)  and  commenced  chopping  and  digging  away  around 
the  gum  of  the  tooth.  The  women  all  ran  away  as  soon 
as  I  commenced  to  mutilate  the  patient's  mouth  with  the 
lancet.  John  came  forward  as  my  student  and  assistant 
and  handed  me  the  turnkeys.  I  got  them  hooked  on  at 
last,  but  considerable  time  and  not  a  little  professional 
skill  were  expended  in  manipulating  the  ponderous  hook 
and  nicely  attaching  it  to  the  throbbing  tooth.  I  then 
straightened  myself  up  into  a  position  a  little  more  dig- 
nified and  gave  the  instrument  a  slight  twist,  just  to  be 
sure  it  was  on  firmly,  which  made  him  wince  so  that  I 
began  to  lose  courage  and  would  willingly  have  given  up 
the  job,  to  the  ruin  of  my  professional  standing,  had  I 
not  just  at  that  moment  caught  the  eye  of  John,  who  gave 
an  approving,  nod  and  wink  and  whose  facial  expressions 
and  gesticulations  seemed  to  say,  "  Courage,  boy,  out  with 
it."  I  gave  a  final  twist  and  jerk,  and  out  flew  the  tooth 
and  struck  the  ground  a  good  two  yards  distant.  The 
captain  jumped  up  and  discharged  a  few  mouthfuls  of 
blood,  and  assured  me  that  he  had  never  before  in  all  his 
life  had  a  tooth  pulled  so  skillfully.  I  assured  him  in  re- 
turn that  in  all  my  professional  experience  I  had  never 
encountered  such  a  tenacious  and  resisting  molar.  He 
expressed  great  satisfaction,  said  he  felt  greatly  relieved. 
So  did  I.  He  asked  how  much  was  the  charge.  I  again 
assumed  the  typical  professional  air  and  gravity  of  coun- 


no 


Ill 

tenance  and  said,  twenty  dollars.  He  handed  me  one  of 
the  very  gold  pieces  we  had  given  him  for  twenty  pounds 
of  musty  flour,  and  handed  it  over  freely,  without  haggle 
or  complaint.  Henceforth  my  reputation  as  a  doctor 
was  made.  Every  woman  in  the  camp  and  train  consulted 
me  about  her  every  ache  and  pain.  The  children  too,  they 
said,  had  been  neglected;  they  had  always  lived  so  far 
away  from  a  doctor,  and  now  that  they  had  one  right 
among  them,  they  were  bound  to  make  up  for  past  neglect. 
My  practice  was  now  becoming  large.  My  consulting 
hours  when  we  were  traveling  were  after  supper.  Besides, 
I  had  to  compound  many  medicinal  remedies.  Fortu- 
nately for  me,  I  was  provided  with  a  good  stock  of  search- 
ing and  raking  pills  that  were  sure  to  do  their  work. 
Then  I  had  some  calomel,  but  that  I  did  not  thoroughly 
understand,  but  administered  it  very  prudently,  and 
always  followed  it  up  by  a  dose  of  those  never  failing  pills, 
so  I  lost  not  a  patient  from  an  overdose  of  calomel.  As 
my  practice  was  increasing  rapidly,  it  stood  me  in  hand 
to  be  careful  lest  my  stock  of  medicines  would  runout ;  and 
as  a  preventive  of  such  possibility,  I  used  some  of  the 
flour  I  had  bought  of  the  captain  for  a  dollar  a  pound  and 
prescribed  it  in  some  chronic  cases  at  two  dollars  a  pre- 
scription, exclusive  of  my  professional  charge  for  the  visit. 
The  quinine  held  out  well  and  was  useful  and  effective  in 
malarial  regions,  and  in  cold  and  rainy  weather.  However, 
my  practice  was  not  wholly  confined  to  medicine;  my 
surgical  skill  as  well  was  sought  for.  One  Oregonian  had 
a  little  lump  growing  on  the  side  of  his  neck,  a  little 
larger  than  a  good  sized  bean.    I  had  seen  my  brother  cut 


112 

one  out  only  a  short  time  before  I  left,  from  the  neck  of  a 
Norwegian.  The  man  came  to  me.  I  pronounced  it  a 
growing  tumor.  That  was  enough;  the  whole  camp  was 
talking  about  it.  Of  course  I  was  asked  how  large  it 
would  grow,  and  how  long  it  would  be  about  it.  I  shook 
my  head,  and  with  slowness  of  speech  and  gravity  of  man- 
ner, said  that  would  depend  on  how  long  the  dangerous 
thing  was  suffered  to  remain  before  it  was  cut  out— which 
it  would  have  to  be,  sooner  or  later.  He  asked  what  I 
would  charge  to  perform  the  operation.  I  said,  fifty  dol- 
lars. He  concluded  to  have  it  done.  So  at  the  camping 
time  he  came,  and  I  pinched  the  skin  underneath  the  lump, 
slittheskin,  and  out  popped  the  little  hard  bean.  I  dressed 
the  wound,  putting  on  some  salve  and  telling  him  to  keep 
it  bound  up  and  be  careful  about  his  diet,  or  it  might 
cost  him  his  life.  That  was  a  master  stroke  for  me — a 
learned  doctor  with  such  a  practice,  a  skillful  surgeon,  and 
only  seventeen  years  old !  It  was  certainly  unprecedented 
in  the  canons  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  But  my 
professional  eminence  must  be  credited  not  alone  to  the 
desperate  emergencies  of  our  situation,  but  largely,  if  not 
wholly,  to  John  See  as  an  advertiser.  He  blew  my  horn. 
Vive  Thumbug! 


RISE  IN   PROVISIONS.  113 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  Prospecting  Party— Generosity— Lessen 's  Ranch— Parting  with 
the  Oregonians— Near  the  Gold  Fields— Sensations— Dinner  in 
Camp— First  Day's  Digging— Mountain  Fever— Mining  Operations 
—Grizzly  Bear  — Lurking  Indians— Finding  Ohio  Boys  — Marys- 
yille— Yuba  City— High  Prices. 

WE  had  now  been  in  the  Oregon  train  about  two 
weeks.  One  evening,  a  little  before  sundown,  we 
discovered  a  party  of  seven  coming  down  the  mountain, 
all  with  pack  mules,  which  we,  of  course,  took  to  be  emi- 
grants. Our  party  again  getting  reduced  in  flour  and 
other  provisions,  I  went  to  the  captain  for  more.  He 
asked  what  we  were  willing  to  pay.  Costler  spoke  up 
and  told  him  we  were  willing  to  pay  a  dollar  a  pound  as 
before.  "No,"  the  captain  said,  "I  want  one  and  a  half," 
for  the  party  we  saw  coming  were  sure  to  be  out  of  pro- 
visions, and  that  was  what  he  should  charge  them,  and  he 
could  not  let  us  have  it  for  less.  That  settled  it.  Costler 
was  a  high-tempered  little  fellow,  and  blustered  consider- 
ably in  his  diplomacy,  and  told  the  captain  he  was  not 
going  to  be  robbed — he  not  considering  that  in  my  medical 
and  surgical  practice  I  had  fleeced  our  good  Oregon  friends 
as  much  as  they  had  robbed  us  in  unconscionable  charges. 
In  fact,  considering  my  professional  income  as  medical 


114  PARTING  WITH  THE  OREGONIANS. 

director  of  the  train,  I  felt  that  flour  at  a  dollar  and  a 
half  a  pound  was  moderate  and  reasonable.  By  this  time 
the  strangers  had  arrived,  and  proved  to  be  prospectors 
who  had  been  out  on  the  west  branch  of  the  north  fork 
of  Feather  river,  and  were  now  on  their  return,  with 
plenty  of  provisions  they  did  not  need.  When  they  were 
told  the  extortionary  charges  we  had  been  and  were  neces- 
sitated to  submit  to,  they  offered  us  all  they  had,  only 
reserving  enough  to  carry  them  through  to  Sacramento. 
They  told  us  we  were  only  about  fifty  miles  from  Lessen's. 
It  elevated  our  spirits  higher  than  the  top  of  the  highest 
mountain  to  think  that  in  three  days  more  we  would  be 
there.  We  could  hardly  realize  it,  but  so  it  was.  Twenty- 
four  had  started  only  a  few  days  before,  and  now  only 
nine  were  alive,  and  one  of  them  past  all  hopes  of  recovery 
— soon  to  be  dead  and  buried.  In  three  days  more  we 
arrived  at  Lessen's  ranch  on  the  Sacramento  river,  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  above  Sacramento  city. 
The  next  morning  we  parted  with  our  Oregon  friends.  I 
had  a  very  pressing  invitation  to  go  with  them  and  follow 
my  profession,  but  I  declined,  telling  them  that  I  had  come 
out  to  try  my  fortune  in  the  gold  fields,  and  if  I  failed  in 
that,  there  would  be  time  for  me  to  turn  again  to  my 
profession.  The  women  thought  it  was  a  pity  such  a 
clever  young  doctor  as  I  was  should  go  digging.  Before 
I  left,  the  captain  gave  me  fifty  dollars  for  a  bottle  of 
quinine  in  solution — a  pretty  fair  profit;  but  when  one 
comes  to  look  at  it,  there  was  not  so  much  profit  as  there 
was  on  fifty  pounds  of  flour  at  the  prices  charged. 
Costler,  See  and  myself  now  started  off  for  the  nearest 


START  FOR  NEAREST  DIGGINGS.  115 

gold  diggings,  which,  we  were  told,  were  at  Butte  creek, 
about  thirty -three  miles  distant.  Our  first  day's  travel 
was  to  Newell's  ranch,  twenty-five  miles  distant.  Newell 
had  crossed  the  plains  with  Fremont,  in  1848,  and  had 
started  a  ranch  there,  and  seemed  to  be  in  a  fair  way  of 
making  a  fortune.  He  was  an  Irish-American,  and  a 
first-rate  fellow:  We  stopped  with  him  over  night,  and  he 
gave  us  a  great  deal  of  information.  He  said  there  were  a 
few  parties  up  the  creek,  eight  miles  away,  on  Reece's  bar, 
and  some  of  them  were  doing  well.  Others  were  cutting  a 
channel  to  turn  the  creek  so  they  could  work  the  bed  of 
the  stream,  anticipating  fortunate  results  therefrom. 

Now  we  were  within  only  eight  miles  of  where  men  were 
actually  getting  gold.  I  am  unable  to  express  our  mental 
sensations — exaltation  of  spirit  for  triumphs  achieved,  and 
expectancy  on  the  verge  of  realization.  For  over  a  year 
visions  of  gold  fields  had  fairly  bewildered  my  youthful 
brain,  and  now  here  was  I,  right  where,  in  twenty-four 
hours,  I  would  see  men  digging  out  the  golden  nuggets  and 
sifting  the  precious  sands  in  the  beds  of  ancient  rivers.  I 
did  not  sleep  that  night  nor  did  my  two  companions.  We 
talked  and  planned  and  built  castles  in  the  air  all  night. 
But,  alas!  many  of  those  fine  castles  were  doomed  to  fall  to 
the  ground.  In  the  morning  we  sold  our  horses  to  Newell 
for  seventy-five  dollars  a  head— two  ponies  and  the  horse 
I  bought  of  the  Crow  Indians  for  a  pint  of  well  watered 
brandy  and  a  pint  of  sugar.  In  return  we  bought  of  him 
a  ham,  at  a  dollar  a  pound,  ten  pounds  of  sugar,  twenty 
pounds  of  flour,  ten  pounds  of  jerked  beef,  some  coffee,  one 
pick,  at  eight  dollars,  and  one  shovel  at  the  same  price,  a 


116  FIRST  SOUND  OF  THE  PICKS. 

tin-pan  at  six  dollars,  and  two  pair  of  blankets  at  six- 
teen dollars  a  pair.  When  we  got  the  stuff  packed  we 
found  we  had  more  than  we  could  carry,  though  many 
times  since  I  have  carried  more  myself  alone.  But  we 
were  weak  and  worn  out,  so  we  thought  we  would  try  to 
buy  Billey  back.  But  no,  he  would  not  sell  him,  but  offered 
to  lend  him  to  us  to  take  our  things  up;  telling  us  we 
would  soon  want  more  stuff,  and  that  we  need  not  be  in 
a  hurry  to  return  him,  that  if  we  stopped  with  him  we 
could  always  have  a  horse  to  take  our  provisions  to  the 
mines. 

We  started  at  last,  thinking  Newell  was  the  best  fellow 
we  ever  met,  and  I  never  had  any  occasion  to  think  other- 
wise. It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our 
hearts  were  full  of  hopes  and  fond  expectations.  We 
traveled  up  the  creek  about  four  miles,  and  had  just 
entered  where  the  stream  commenced  to  canon  the  banks, 
which  were  so  thick  with  a  growth  of  scrub  wTe  could 
hardly  see  through  to  the  steam,  when  we  heard  men  talk- 
ing, stones  rattling,  and  the  sound  of  the  picks.  We  list- 
ened, and  at  length  ventured  into  the  scrub,  and  looking 
through  saw  four  men  working,  talking  and  laughing. 
We  stood  for  some  minutes  with  beating  hearts.  We 
had  at  last  seen  with  our  own  eyes  what  we  had  so 
long  wished  for,  and  for  which  we  had  crossed  the 
continent.  Men  actually  digging  for  gold.  We  stood  and 
conversed  in  whispers.  Finally  we  mustered  up  courage 
and  went  through  the  scrubs  to  them,  when  they  saluted 
us  with,  "Good  day,  captains,  where  from?"  We  told 
them   we  had  arrived   from  across  the  plains  only  the 


FIRST  WORK— WING-DAM.  117 

day  before,  and  had  never  seen  any  gold  fields.  They  at 
once  invited  us  to  their  camp,  which  was  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  creek  from  where  our  pony  was,  one  man  going 
with  John  See  to  show  him  a  crossing,  Martin  Costler 
and  myself  going  with  the  other  three  to  the  camp.  Din- 
ner was  soon  on  the  way.  We  had  to  give  them  all  the 
news  and  a  full  account  of  our  journey,  which  they  list- 
ened to  with  the  greatest  interest.  They  had  come  around 
the  Horn.  There  was  no  work  for  them  that  afternoon. 
They  would  not  hear  of  our  going  an}'  farther  that  day, 
and  would  not  allow  us  to  cook  any  of  our  provisions. 
That  night  they  told  us  they  were  prospecting  the  creek 
by  putting  in  what  they  called  a  wing-dam,  and  if  we  liked 
we  could  go  to  work  with  them  and  all  share  alike. 

We  accepted  their  proposition  and  the  next  morning 
went  to  work  putting  in  the  wing-dam,  which  is  con- 
structed by  building  a  wall  of  stone  diagonally  about  half 
way  across  the  stream,  then  fill  in  with  earth  to  dam  the 
water  back  and  throw  the  current  to  the  opposite  side, 
then,  in  like  manner,  down  the  stream.  When  this  is  ac- 
complished, the  river  bed  within  the  enclosure  is  accessible 
from  the  surface  to  the  bed-rock.  The  dirt  is  then  tried 
from  top  to  bottom  with  a  tin  pan,  or  gold  dish,  as  it  is 
called  among  miners.  Sometimes  gold  is  obtained  all 
through  the  dirt,  but  generally  the  richest  is  found  at  the 
bottom.  Well,  we  worked  two  days  and  sunk  a  hole  to 
the  bed-rock  without  obtaining  satisfactory  results— that 
is,  so  the  parties  we  were  working  with  said.  Our  spirits 
went  down  about  ten  degrees  below  zero,  and  we  made  up 
our  minds  to  quit  and  go  farther  up  the  stream  to  a  place 


118  THE  MYSTERIOUS  CRADLE. 

called  Reece's  Bar.  They  told  us  we  must  not  get  discour- 
aged at  not  dropping  on  it  at  once ;  that  we  might  have 
to  try  without  success  for  a  long  time,  especially  as  we 
were  beginners;  that  gold-digging  was  a  trade  that  one 
had  to  learn  the  same  as  any  other,  but  that  if  we  went 
to  Reece's  Bar  we  were  sure  to  get  gold  there  in  the  side  of 
the  hill,  but  that  we  could  do  nothing  without  a  cradle. 
What  we  wanted  a  cradle  for  was  more  than  any  of  us 
could  tell — we  had  no  children  to  rock.  But,  however,  we 
started  the  next  morning,  rather  down  in  the  mouth, 
especially  Costler,  though  John  seemed  to  take  it  a  little 
better.  It  was  four  miles  up  the  creek,  and  on  rather  a 
rough  road.  Some  twenty  or  thirty  men  were  working 
there,  and  had  cut  a  race,  blasted  the  rock,  dug  out  a  new 
channel  for  the  creek,  built  a  dam  across  the  stream  and 
turned  it  into  the  race  or  new  channel  to  enable  them  to 
work  the  original  bottom  of  the  stream. 

We  found  the  men  here  equally  as  hospitable  and  friendly 
as  the  party  below.  Dinner  we  must  have  with  them,  and 
no  excuse  was  admissible.  After  dinner  one  of  them 
showed  us  where  we  could  set  in  and  make  wages.  It 
was  in  the  side  of  a  hill,  digging  up  the  surface,  grass,  roots 
and  all,  and  carrying  it  on  our  backs  some  fifty  or  more 
yards  to  the  stream  to  wash.  He  showed  us  how  to  wash 
in  a  tin  dish,  but  told  us  we  would  have  to  have  a  cradle — 
there,  again,  came  up  that  mysterious  and  to  us  useless 
cradle.  I  told  him  I  did  not  need  a  cradle ;  that  I  was  an 
unmarried  man  of  reputable  character  and,  therefore, 
could  not  be  the  father  of  children ;  that  I  had  not  even 
been  courting  any  young  lady  in  the  east.    He  laughed 


CRADLE  DESCRIBED.  119 

heartily  at  my  simplicity  and  explained  to  us  the  form 
and  use  of  what  the  miners  call  a  cradle  or  rocker.  It  is  a 
box  about  three  feet  and  a  half  long,  the  bottom  about 
sixteen  inches  wide,  its  sides  about  the  same  in  height,  the 
upper  half  having  a  strip  or  riffle  across  the  bottom  about 
an  inch  thick,  and  one  on  the  lower  end.  The  top  has  a 
hopper  about  sixteen  inches  square,  with  a  sheet  iron 
screen  full  of  holes  punched  about  an  inch  apart  and 
about  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  Underneath  the  hopper 
is  a  canvas  apron  fixed  on  a  slide  set  so  as  to  pitch  back 
to  the  upper  side  or  back  end  of  the  cradle,  at  an  angle  of 
about  fifteen  degrees.  Underneath  the  cradle  are  attached 
two  rockers,  like  a  child's  cradle,  with  two  little  iron  spikes, 
and  also  a  strip  with  two  holes  in  the  centre  for  the 
spikes,  and  on  the  back  end  is  a  handle  to  rock  the  cradle. 
It  is  set  on  an  incline,  towards  the  tail  or  lower  end,  of 
about  half  an  inch  to  the  foot— now  you  are  ready  for 
rocking  out  the  gold.  The  process  is  to  put  into  the 
hopper  about  half  a  bucket  of  dirt,  having  a  dipper 
holding  a  quart  of  water,  commence  rocking  the  cradle 
steadily,  at  the  same  time  pouring  in  the  water  regularly 
so  as  to  have  a  steady  stream  running  off.  One  has  to 
learn  to  do  three  things  at  once— rock,  dip  and  pour— which 
is  difficult  at  first  to  do,  as  all  boys  know  who  have  exper- 
imented on  only  two  simultaneous  acts— scratching  the 
head  with  one  hand  and  spatting  the  chest  with  the  other. 
Our  new  friend  told  us  he  had  a  cradle  he  was  not  using, 
which  he  would  lend  us  until  he  wanted  to  use  it  himself, 
which  was  very  kind  in  him,  especially  as  one  was  worth 
about  forty  dollars.    He  brought  it  and  set  it  for  us, 


120  SUCCESSFUL  PANNING  OUT. 

panned  out  two  or  three  dishes  of  dirt,  told  us  we  had  a 
first-rate  prospect,  and  then  had  me  try  my  hand.  I  made 
a  very  poor  hand  at  it.  I  found  I  could  not  even  do  two 
things  at  once — could  not  rock  and  dip  at  the  same  time. 
The  others  then  tried  it,  but  did  no  better,  and  perhaps  not 
quite  so  well  as  I  did ;  so  I  was  tolled  off  to  rock  the 
cradle.  See  carried  down  the  dirt  in  a  fifty  pound  flour 
sack,  and  Costler  dug  up  the  surface  and  picked  out 
the  coarse  stones.  When  our  friend  got  us  to  work  all 
right  he  left,  telling  us  to  call  him  when  we  wanted  to 
clean  out  the  rocker.  We  commenced  work  at  half  past 
two  o'clock,  but  in  two  hours  Costler  gave  out — he  could 
stand  it  no  longer— and  as  for  myself,  if  he  had  not  stopped 
as  hedid,Ishould  have  ceased  rocking,  for  I  wascompletely 
played  out.  We  called  our  new  friend,  who  came  and 
cleaned  up  for  us,  we,  all  the  while,  looking  on  with  the 
greatest  anxiety.  When  he  got  it  panned  down  my  spirits 
dropped ;  still  he  kept  panning  out  the  sand  until  I 
thought  he  was  going  to  pan  it  all  away.  At  last  he  got 
through,  and  there  looked  to  me  to  be  a  very  small 
amount  of  precious  settlings  for  so  much  work.  He  told 
us  that  it  was  first-rate ;  that  if  he  had  thought  that  it 
had  been  any  where  near  so  good  he  would  have  worked 
it  himself.  That  rather  frightened  us ;  perhaps  he  would 
take  the  cradle  away  from  us.  However,  he  took  the  little 
results  of  our  rockings  down  to  his  camp,  dried  it,  and 
put  it  into  a  blower  to  blow  out  the  sand.  Now  I  was 
sure  it  was  all  gone,  for  he  kept  blowing  and  shaking  and 
blowing  again,  until  I  thought  the  last  particle  was  bound 
to  go.    He  then  poured  it  into  his  gold  scales  and  weighed 


MOUNTAIN  FEVER.  121 

it.  Judge  of  our  surprise  when  he  told  us  that  there  were 
just  two  ounces,  two  and  a  half  pennyweights,  or  thirty- 
five  dollars  worth.  We  could  hardly  believe  him,  and  yet 
felt  that  our  fortunes  were  secured.  See  wanted  to  go  to 
work  again  that  afternoon,  but  poor  Costler  was  too 
much  worn  out,  and  I  was  not  much  better.  The  next  day 
we  were  at  it  bright  and  early,  but  we  all  fagged  and  often 
had  to  stop  and  rest,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
we  shut  down.  Our  friend  showed  us  how  to  clean  out  the 
cradle  every  hour  and  leave  the  dirt  in  the  dish,  and  at 
noon  came  and  panned  it  off  for  us.  That  day  wc  had 
five  ounces  and  five  pennyweights,  or  eighty-four  dollars. 

The  next  morning  Costler  was  as  crazy  as  a  loon— the 
mountain  fever  had  attacked  him.  What  to  do  we  did  not 
know.  I  had  medicine,  but  when  it  came  to  practicing  on 
a  friend  that  was  really  sick,  it  was  a  different  thing  from 
practicing  on  my  Oregon  patients  who  needed  not  a  physi- 
cian. But  the  poor  fellow  had  to  have  something,  and  so 
I  tried  to  do  the  best  I  could.  I  began  by  giving  a  whop- 
pingdose  of  calomel,  followed  up  by  as  large  a  dose  of  pills; 
then  quinine  came  in,  but  nothing  seemed  to  quiet  his  brain 
or  check  his  fever.  He  raved  and  talked  all  sorts  of  non- 
sense— sometimes  he  was  fighting  Indians,  and  one  of  us 
had  to  stop  with  him  constantly.  I  kept  repeating  my 
routine  of  prescriptions,  not  knowing  whether  I  was  doing 
right  or  wrong.  After  six  days  I  could  stand  it  no  longer, 
and  having  been  told  that  there  was  a  doctor  about  ten 
miles  away,  I  left  See  with  him  and  went  to  see  the  doctor, 
found  him,  stated  the  case  and  what  I  had  done.  He 
listened  to  me  in  profound  silence  and  with  closed  eyes,  as 


122  costler's  sickness. 

though  he  was  taking  a  mental  review  of  all  the  cases  iir 
the  books  from  Esculapius  or  Galen  down  to  that  hour. 
Finally  he  opened  his  eyes,  coughed,  cleared  his  throat, 
and  with  a  grave  and  sedate  countenance  told  me  that 
the  course  of  treatment  I  had  pursued  was  the  correct 
one,  that  in  his  opinion  it  was  a  very  stubborn  and  doubt- 
ful case ;  that  if  he  went  to  see  him  his  charge  would  be 
one  hundred;  dollars  that  he  was  just  as  well  satisfied 
with  my  diagnosis  as  if  he  had  seen  the  patient;  that  he 
should  treat  him  the  same  as  I  had.    I  asked  him  his  fee  for 
the  consultation.    He  said,  "0,  nothing  at  all,  perhaps  he 
should  sometimes  have  a  stubborn  case  and  need  my  coun- 
sel." That  settled  it  with  me;  I  knew  then  he  was  an  impos- 
tor.   I  then  went  to  the  store  there  and  bought  a  bottle  of 
brandy  for  which  I  paid  sixteen  dollars,  and  then  started 
back  as  fast  as  Billey  could  carry  me,  and  I  did  not  get 
back  any  too  soon.      Costler's  fever  had  broken  and  he 
had  a  sinking  spell.    We  both  thought  he  was  going  to 
die,  and  very  soon.    I  thought  to  try  the  brandy  and  got 
some,  mixed  with  water,  down  him,  when  he  revived,  and 
one  of  us  staid  with  him  all    the  time,   never   leaving 
him,  every  now  and  then  giving  him  a  spoonful  of  the 
brandy  and  water,  and  quinine  in  grain  doses  every  three 
hours.    The  men  on  the  bar  were  very  kind  and  sat  up 
with  him  nights,  and  were  willing  to  do  anything  for  him. 
At  last  he  began  to  recover,  so  that  I  could  leave  him.    I 
now  began  to  feel  uneasy  about  keeping  Billey  so  long, 
and  went  down  to  Newell's  to  apologize  and  explain.    He 
said  he  had  heard  that  there  was  a  man  on  the  bar  that 
could  not  live,  but  that  he  had  one  of  the  cleverest  young 


MEDICAL  TREATMENT.  123 

doctors  attending  him.  Upon  my  inquiry  as  to  who  told 
him,  he  said  it  was  Dr.  Bliss  from  the  Springs,  the  same 
old  humbug  T  had  been  to  see.  I  bought  Billey  back  for 
one  hundred  dollars,  twenty-five  more  than  I  sold  him 
for.  I  found  we  must  have  a  horse  and  that  Billey  would 
suit  us  better  than  any  other  we  could  get.  I  bought 
more  provisions  and  returned.  See  was  working  away, 
but  Costler  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  I  called  to  See  to 
know  what  had  become  of  him.  He  told  me  he  had  just 
left  him,  that  he  worked  a  little  while  and  then  went  to 
see  if  he  wanted  anything,  and  then  returned  to  work 
again.  We  looked  everywhere  and  called  for  him,  but 
no  answer,  when  we  began  to  think  he  had  crawled  to  the 
dam  and  had  fallen  in.  There  was  a  deep  gorge  close  by 
and  a  spring  of  ice-cold  water  in  it,  and  as  one  of  us  was 
running  past  it  a  noise  was  heard,  and  looking  around, 
there  lay  Costler  by  the  spring,  with  nothing  on  but  his 
shirt,  stickinghisheadin  the  water  and  then  shaking  it  like 
a  Newfoundland  dog.  We  carried  him  back ;  he  had  become 
so  emaciated  that  one  could  carry  him  like  a  child.  He  had 
got  a  relapse  and  was  as  bad  as  ever.  I  gave  up  all  hopes 
of  saving  him,  but  was  determined  to  try.  I  treated 
much  as  before,  only  in  smaller  doses.  I  got  some  arrow- 
root at  Newell's,  but  he  would  not  take  it,  accused  us  of 
trying  to  poison  him,  called  us  everything  that  was  bad, 
and,  although  a  very  religious  man,  swore  at  us  like  a 
pirate.  We  had  an  awfully  trying  time  with  him ;  but  at 
last  he  began  to  recover,  and  after  about  three  weeks  got 
so  we  could  leave  him  and  both  go  to  work.  We  still  con- 
tinued to  do  pretty  well  at  the  cradle,  and  had  we  been 


124  costler's  departure. 

able  to  do  a  full  day's  work,  we  would  have  made  from 
forty  to  fifty  dollars  a  day.  Soon  Costler  got  so  he  could 
get  around,  but  he  was  so  cross  that  he  was  very  disa- 
greeable. He  got  it  into  his  head  that  we  must  get  out 
of  that  place.  See  and  I  opposed  it,  but  that  did  not 
satisfy  him,  go  we  should ;  and  finally,  to  gratify  his  whim 
we  consented  to  go  across  to  Feather  river,  a  distance  of 
about  thirty-five  miles;  packed  up  Billey,  offered  to  pay 
for  the  use  of  the  cradle,  thanked  the  party  for  their  kind- 
ness, and  departed  for  the  main  fork  of  the  Feather  river. 
Costler  was  not  equal  to  the  journey,  and  before  we  had 
gone  four  miles  we  had  to  load  him  onto  the  horse.  He 
rode  ten  miles  to  the  Springs,  where  I  had  consulted 
the  doctor,  and  there  we  had  to  lay  over  for  him  three 
days,  and  at  last  reached  Long's  Bar.  See  and  I  pros- 
pected around  for  three  or  four  days  and  thought  we 
would  set  in  on  Morris'  ravine,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
distant.  Costler  went  over  with  us;  but  no,  that  place 
did  not  suit  him,  and  he  wasn't  going  to  stop  there.  To 
be  sure  it  was  not  so  good  as  the  place  we  had  left,  but 
it  was  better  to  stop  there  than  to  be  running  around. 
No,  he  wanted  to  go  to  Sacramento  and  us  to  go  with 
him.  See,  I  think,  would  have  gone  if  I  had  not  told  him 
I  had  lost  time  enough  in  running  around  and  did  not 
intend  to  lose  any  more,  he  could  do  as  he  liked.  Costler 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  knew,  he  said,  he  could 
make  more  money  down  there  than  he  could  digging,  so 
we  told  him  to  go,  and  we  sold  Billey  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  divided  up  every  dollar  we  had  made,  and  he 
left  us.    I  never  saw  him  again  for  two  years,   when  I 


SEE  RETURNS  HOME.  125 

met  him  in  Nevada  City.    He  told  me  he  had  been  on  the 
run  from  one  place  to  another  ever  since. 

After  Costler  left  us,  See  and  I  continued  to  work  on 
Morris'  ravine  with  varied  success.  The  gold  was  nug- 
gety — some  days  we  would  get  nothing — then  the  sinking 
was  some  six  or  seven  feet.  To  strip  a  "paddock,"  as  it  is 
called  (a  hole),  one  would  dig  down  seven  or  eight  feet, 
and,  perhaps,  get  nothing;  then  again  one  might  get  three 
or  four  nuggets  running  in  weight  from  one  to  four 
ounces,  and  some  small  or  fine  gold.  In  Morris'  ravine 
one  depended  wholly  upon  the  nuggets  he  might  get.  We 
worked  there  some  time  when  See  got  suddenly  homesick, 
and  go  home  he  must  and  did.  He  would  have  about  one 
thousand  dollars  when  he  got  back — that  was  all  he 
wanted,  he  said — that  would  finish  up  paying  for  his  farm. 
He  had  a  wife  and  one  child,  and  he  could  make  a  living 
for  them  when  he  had  his  farm  paid  for,  and  he  departed. 
That  left  me  alone,  and  lonesome  enough  I  was.  One 
night  I  went  over  to  Long's  Bar  for  some  groceries  and 
meat,  for  there  was  a  regular  butcher's  shambles.  The 
butcher's  name  was  Jerre  Armstrong,  from  near  Morris, 
Illinois,  and  he  persuaded  me  to  come  to  the  bar  and  try 
my  luck  in  a  wing-dam.  He  offered  me  a  half  share.  I 
thought  it  a  good  offer,  so  did  all  that  I  talked  with,  and 
so  I  came.  Board  was  twenty-one  dollars  a  week,  and  I 
went  to  work  on  Long's  Bar  wing-dam.  The  third  day  a 
man  came  along  and  hired  out  for  sixteen  dollars  a  day. 
No  one  knew  who  he  was  or  where  he  came  from.  He 
was  carrying  over  stone  with  me,  with  a  hand-barrow, 
and  just  as  he  had  discharged  his  load  he  stepped  on  a 


126  LOSS  BY  FLOOD. 

stone  that  turned,  and  he  fell  into  the  stream.  The  current 
was  swift  and  it  carried  him  down  until  he  struck  the 
eddy,  when  he  suddenly  turned  over,  threw  up  his  hands 
and  sank,  and  that  was  the  last  ever  seen  of  him.  So  it 
has  been  with  hundreds  of  men  who  have  gone  to  Califor- 
nia, met  with  some  accident,  and,  being  unknown,  their 
friends  could  not  be  written  to;  they  died  among  stran- 
gers and  were  soon  forgotten. 

When  we  had  worked  about  four  weeks  on  the  dam,  and 
had  got  nearly  ready  to  rock  the  golden  dirt,  a  flood  came, 
as  disastrous  to  our  hopes  as  Noah's  was  to  the  ancient 
world,  and  swept  everything  away.  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  would  be  the  last  wing-dam,  or  any  other  kind  of 
dam,  that  I  would  invest  in  in  California.  At  that  time 
there  was  a  craze  for  river  damming.  There  was  one  just 
below  Long's,  and  another,  the  White  Rock  company's, 
where  the  dam  and  cutting,  to  turn  the  river,  cost  over  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars  that  season,  and  they  did  not 
even  get  into  the  river.  Besides,  at  every  turn  or  bend  in 
the  stream,  there  was  a  company  wing-damming.  In  my 
opinion,  there  was  not  one  dollar  got  out  of  the  river 
where  ten  dollars  were  put  in.  There  was  a  good  class  of 
people  there— that  is,  the  majority,  for  there  are  always 
exceptions,  and  Long's  Bar  was  not  without  its  excep- 
tions. On  the  other  side  of  the  river  from  Long's,  lived  a 
Mr.  Adams  and  his  wife,  from  Quincy,  Illinois.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  lady;  she  was  like  a  sister  to  me.  I  was 
young,  and  she  knew  the  temptations  that  were  placed  in 
the  way  of  a  boy  of  my  age,  thrown  in  among  gamblers, 
inexperienced,  and  no  one  to  advise  him,  so  she  took  it 


a  grizzly's  sudden  appearance.  127 

upon  herself  to  do  so,  and  very  thankful  am  I  for  it.  She 
was  the  only  woman  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  I  think 
there  were  none  on  the  other  side.  The  two  Armstrong 
brothers  were  engaged  in  the  butchering  business.  They 
were  like  brothers  to  me  for  the  short  time  I  was  there. 
The  following  circumstance  occurred  while  I  was  there : 

The  Armstrongs  used  to  bring  up  cattle  from  the  Sacra- 
mento flat  in  droves  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  at  a  time,  and 
herd  them  down  by  a  little  bend  in  the  river  that  was  per- 
fectly hemmed  in  by  high  clifts  of  rocks,  so  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  get  out  except  by  the  way  they  were 
brought  in.  The  inclosure  embraced  about  ten  acres.  One 
Sunday  afternoon  Jerre  Armstrong  took  his  minie  rifle  on 
his  shoulder  and  a  pail  of  salt,  and  went  down  to  salt  his 
cattle.  After  about  two  hours  he  returned  and  lay  down 
on  his  bunk.  He  looked  very  pale  and  I  asked  him  if  he  was 
sick.  "No,  "said  he,  "why  do  you  ask?"  I  told  him  that  he 
was  as  white  as  a  ghost,  and  he  was  all  of  a  shake.  He 
said  he  had  been  nearly  frightened  to  death.  Said  he  went 
down  to  count  the  cattle  and  salt  them,  and  then  started 
for  home,  and  as  he  was  walking  towards  the  entrance  of 
the  inclosure,  he  heard  something  walking  behind  him.  He 
paid  no  attention  to  it,  when  suddenly  he  felt  a  terrible  blow 
on  the  shoulder,  that  knocked  him  forward  three  or  four 
feet,  and  a  terrible  growl.  Looking  back  over  his  shoulder 
there  was  a  grizzly  bear  making  for  him  with  mouth  wide 
open.  He  said  he  believed  he  let  out  one  of  the  most 
unearthly  yells  that  ever  came  from  a  human  being,  at 
the  same  moment  giving  a  backhanded  blow  with  his  rifle 
which  struck  the  bear  full  in  the  mouth ;  then  ran  to  the 


128  MISSING   HORSES. 

top  of  a  hill,  about  ten  yards  distant,  and  fell.  As  he  fell 
he  turned  to  look  for  the  bear,  expecting  the  next  instant  to- 
be  chewed  into  mincemeat.  To  his  surprise  and  joy  the 
bear  was  down  on  the  bottom  and  making  the  best  of 
leg-bail  in  his  power.  I  examined  his  rifle,  and  there  were 
the  prints  and  scratches  on  the  barrel  where  it  had  come  in 
contact  with  the  grizzly's  teeth.  It  was  an  exciting  theme 
of  talk  in  the  neighborhood  for  many  a  day.  The  grizzly 
is  as  great  a  terror  in  California  as  the  tiger  is  in  Hindu- 
stan. 

Rich  Bar,  on  the  west  branch  of  the  north  fork  of 
Feather  river,  just  to  the  east  of  where  we  fell  in  with  the 
Oregon  party,  was  the  location  of  the  prospecting  party, 
before  mentioned,  that  gave  us  their  surplus  of  provisions. 
There  had  been  some  very  rich  findings,  and  many  were 
going  there.  Armstrong  brothers  wanted  me  to  go,  as 
one  of  them  was  going  wThile  the  other  remained  to 
manage  their  business.  They  had  plenty  of  horses,  so  I 
agreed  to  go  with  Isaiah,  the  younger  of  the  brothers,  and 
another  young  fellow,  Horace  King,  from  Illinois.  We 
started  in  company  with  three  more,  for  it  was  reported 
that  the  Indians  were  troublesome  and  it  was  not  safe  to 
go  in  small  parties.  Nelson's  creek  was  the  first  stream  to 
cross.  We  camped  one  night  in  the  mountains  above  the 
north  fork,  on  a  piece  of  marsh}'  ground,  where,  there  were 
patches  of  scrub.  In  the  morning  our  horses  were  gone. 
King  and  I  went  out  in  search  of  them.  After  a  little  we 
separated  and  took  different  routes.  Not  long  after,  I 
struck  the  trail  of  the  horses  making  down  towards  the 
camp.    I  was  crossing  over  a  sandy  place,  when  all  at 


TT 


ANOTHER   DEAD   INDIAN.  129 

once  I  heard  something ' 4  zit ' '  past,  close  to  my  head .  Soon 
another  "zit."  I  did  not  have  to  think  twice  to  make  up 
my  mind  what  it  was.  As  it  is  sometimes  expressed,  I  did 
not  run,  but  I  did  some  pretty  tall  walking.  I  did  not 
look  back,  but  before  I  reached  a  little  rise  of  ground,  or 
spur  of  a  hill,  five  of  those  "zits"  had  sounded  at  regular 
intervals  in  my  ear.  As  I  reached  the  rise,  which  was  not 
more  than  thirty  yards,  I  saw  a  large  bowlder  that  had 
rolled  down  from  a  higher  level.  I  jumped  to  the  top  of  it 
and  suddenly  turned  around  just  in  time  to  see  nothing  but 
a  bunch  of  long  grass  move  a  little.  I  up  gun  and  fired 
into  the  centre  of  the  bunch,  and  left  for  camp.  The  boys 
had  heard  my  shooting,  and  inquired  what  I  had  been 
shooting  at.  I  told  them  a  bunch  of  grass.  "Did  I  kill 
it?"  I  said  I  did  not  go  to  look.  We  talked  about  that 
bunch  of  grass  until  there  seemed  to  be  a  mysterious  fas- 
cination in  the  subject,  and  all  had  a  desire  to  inspect  it  a 
little  closer,  so  we  all  went  together,  taking,  of  course,  our 
guns  with  us.  Arriving  at  the  spot  we  were  all  surprised 
to  find  an  Indian  stretched  out  at  full  length,  fast  asleep,  as 
we  supposed,  but  on  closer  inspection  we  found  he  had  a 
little  bullet  hole  through  him,  just  under  his  armpits.  He 
was  taking  his  last  sleep. 

We  went  on  up  to  Rich  Bar  and  found  many  digging 
there.  It  was  all  crevicing,  that  is,  working  the  crevices 
in  the  rocks.  Some  had  made  an  immense  pile  in  a  few 
weeks.  I  met  the  party  there  who  had  given  us  the  pro- 
visions while  we  were  with  the  Oregon  party.  They  had 
all  done  well.  There  were  no  claims,  but  every  man 
started  out  in  the  morning  with  his  crowbar,  iron  spoon 


130  THE  FLEETNESS  OF  THE  MIND. 

and  tin  dish,  and  looked  for  a  crevice  to  work  out.  Some 
of  them  had  many  pounds  of  gold.  One  man  obtained 
as  much  as  a  pint  cup  full  in  one  day,  which  I  had  observa- 
tion of  myself.  We  staid  there  two  or  three  weeks  and 
prospected  around  in  different  canons  withalittle  success; 
but  on  the  whole  it  was  not  a  paying  trip,  and  we  soon 
got  tired.  Armstrong  wanted  to  go  back  to  Long's  Bar 
to  his  butchering  business,  and  the  rest  of  us  were  quite 
willing  to.  So  we  departed,  stopping  on  our  way  back 
to  prospect  on  Nelson's  creek  for  a  week,  but  met  with 
nothing  encouraging.  We  never  went  out  without  our 
guns  or  revolvers,  as  we  were  liable  at  any  moment  to 
meet  the  infernal  redskins.  One  day  I  was  out  looking 
for  the  horses  and  came  across  some  acorns,  the  largest 
I  ever  saw,  and  gathered  a  few  as  a  specimen  to  show  the 
boys  in  camp.  As  I  had  them  in  hand,  intently  looking  at 
them,  I  was  wholly  oblivious  of  anyone  near  me,  but  as 
I  raised  my  eyes  to  start,  I  saw  two  Indians  directly  fac- 
ing me,  within  forty  feet,  with  their  bows  drawn  and  the 
arrows  just  ready  to  fly.  Selkirk  was  inspired  by  loneli- 
ness when  he  was  supposed  to  have  said : 

"  How  fleet  is  a  glance  of  the  mind ! 
Compared  with  the  speed  of  its  flight 
The  tempest  itself  lags  behind, 
And  the  swift  winged  arrows  of  light. 
When  I  think  of  my  own  native  land, 
In  a  moment  I  seem  to  be  there ; 
But  alas !  recollection  at  hand 
Soon  hurries  me  back  to  despair." 

Never,  until  that  moment,  did  I  appreciate  those  lines. 


FINDS   AN   OHIO   BOY.  131 

I  thought  of  my  mother,  my  home,  every  act  of  my 
childhood;  everything  I  had  done  in  my  life  up  to  that 
moment,  flashed  across  my  mind  in  rapidly  successive 
installments.  Instinctively  and  without  reflection,  caused 
by  the  startling  realities  of  the  moment,  as  I  now  suppose, 
I  flirted,  rather  than  threw,  the  acorns  in  their  faces. 
That  act  was  a  surprise  to  them  and  caused  them  to  wince, 
and  their  arrows,  which  were  sent  at  the  same  instant,  to 
miss  their  mark.  Now  was  my  opportunity,  and  I  availed 
myself  of  it.  Before  they  could  put  their  hand  over  their 
shoulder  and  draw  another  arrow  from  the  quiver,  I  had 
my  revolver,  and  in  an  instant  there  were  two  more  red- 
skins ready  for  the  tan-yard,  but  whose  hides  where  too 
badly  damaged  to  command  full  price. 

Our  Nelson  creek  prospecting  proved  as  unprofitable  as 
our  Rich  Bar  had,  so  we  came  to  the  conclusion  to  return 
to  Long's  Bar  again.  Shortly  after  our  arrival,  being  in 
Adams'  store  one  evening,  I  met  a  newly  arrived  party, 
one  of  whom,  after  eyeing  me  for  a  time,  asked  me  if  I  did 
not  know  him?  I  could  not  recognize  him.  He  said  he 
was  Charlie  Young,  from  Young's  mill,  Farmington,  Ohio. 
For  the  moment  I  was  so  confused  that  I  could  remember 
nothing,  although  I  knew  him  well.  When  my  senses 
came  back  to  me  I  felt  exceeding  delight,  for  he  was  the 
first  person  I  had  yet  seen  since  I  left  home  whom  I  had 
known  before.  He  told  me  his  father  and  John  Proctor, 
another  Farmington  boy,  were  up  on  Middle  Fork,  four 
miles  above  B^urwell's  Bar,  twelve  miles  from  where  we 
then  were,  and  the  next  day  I  went  up  to  see  them.  Bur- 
well's   Bar  was  on  the  main  Feather  river,  eight  miles 


132  FINDS  PROCTOR  AND  YOUNG. 

above  Long's  Bar.    Two  miles  above  Burwell's  the  river 
forked,  one  branch  forming  the  South,  the  other  the  Middle 
fork  of  the  Feather  river.    Up  the  Middle  two  miles  is,  or 
was,  Miller's  Bar,  and  here  I  found  Elisha  Young  and  John 
Proctor,  two  old    Farmington  acquaintances  from    my 
early  childhood.    It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  meeting, 
in  that  far-distant,  uncivilized,  rocky,  craggy  region  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  was  mutually  joyous.    One 
who  has  been  there  and  been  fortunate  enough  to  meet 
one  of  his  early  friends  or  acquaintances  can  appreciate 
such  a  meeting.    I  say  fortunate  enough,  for  it  is  one  of 
the  best  events  in  a  young  man's  life,  so  situated,  who  has 
any  pride  and  self-respect,  to  meet,  occasionally,  with  early 
companions,  and  especially  those  from  home.    It  has  a 
tendency  to  keep  him  steady,  for  nothing  is  more  dreaded 
by  a  young  man  than  to  have  a  report  go  back  to  his 
early  friends  and  childhood  home  that  he  has  gone  to  the 
bad.    I  have  known  many  that  had  become  reckless  and 
had  gone  down,  brought  back  by  falling  in  with  one  of  the 
companions  of  his  youth,  when  that  one  was  of  the  right 
kind ;  otherwise  they  both  go  down,  cursing  their  luck,  as  m 
all  miners  choose  to  call  their  misfortunes  or  ill  success, 
when  ninety-nine  times  in  a  hundred  it  is  their  own  fault. 
Young  and  Proctor  were  working  on  Miller's  Bar,  wash- 
ing  the   sand    that   had    been   thrown    up   among   the 
bowlders,  and  making  good  wages.    They  proposed  that 
I  should  go  to  work  with  them,  which  I  did,  but  after  all 
they  were  disinclined  to  remain  there,  and  were  constantly 
talking  of  what  could  be  done  in  Marysville,  in  the  milk 
business.    They  wanted  to  go  down  there  and  buy  cows 


MILK  BUSINESS— "MILLIONS  IN  IT."  133 

and  sell  milk,  and  at  last  they  got  me  equally  interested  in 
their  scheme.  We  finally  sent  Proctor  down  to  see  what 
could  be  done,  and  Young  and  I  suspended  work  till  his 
return:  having  become  too  thoroughly  enthused  in  the  milk 
project  to  even  dig  gold.  After  a  week  he  returned,  and 
great  was  the  account  he  gave  us  of  what  could  be  done  in 
milk,  in  Marysville.  Like  Colonel  Seller's  eye-water,  there 
was  "millions  in  it."  So  off  to  Marysville,  about  forty 
miles  distant,  we  went.  As  I  had  some  things  at  Long's 
Bar,  it  was  arranged  for  me  to  go  down  that  way,  while 
they  would  go  the  more  direct  route.  But  when  I  got 
back  to  Long's  Bar,  Mr.  Adams  and  his  wife,  whom  I 
have  already  mentioned,  endeavored  to  persuade  me  out 
of  the  milk  business,  offering  me  two  hundred  dollars  a 
month  to  work  for  them.  They  were  running  a  store  at 
the  Bar,  and  her  brother  had  a  four-horse  team  on  the 
road,  between  there  and  Sacramento.  They  would  put 
on  another  team  for  me  to  drive.  They  were  so  solicitous 
for  my  welfare  and  so  generous  in  their  proposals  that  I 
partly,  or  rather  conditionally,  promised  to  accept.  The 
brother  had  that  morning  started  for  Sacramento,  and 
was  to  stop  at  a  ranch  a  day,  and  I  was  to  start  at  once 
and  overtake  him.  We  were  to  buy  the  team  in  Sacra- 
mento and  I  was  to  drive  it  back,  if,  after  I  had  seen 
Young  and  Proctor,  they  would  let  me  off.  I  over- 
took the  brother,  who  was  also  anxious  for  me  to  go 
right  on  with  him,  but  I  felt  under  obligations  of  honor  to 
see  Young  and  Proctor  first,  and,  therefore,  I  went  on  to 
Marysville  and  found  them.  They  had  arrived  there 
before  me,  and  I  found  Young  already  dissatisfied.     He 


134  OLD  NEIGHBORS— MARYSVILLE. 

claimed  that  Proctor's  imagination  was  too  brilliant,  and 
his  colors  too  gaudy  for  a  rural  picture  of  cows,  cans  and 
milkmaids.  The  end  of  the  milk  business.  Young  wanted 
me  to  return  with  him  to  Miller's  Bar.  While  I  was  now 
in  a  quandary  as  to  whether  I  ought  to  go  back  to  the  Bar 
with  Young  or  go  on  to  Sacramento  in  the  teaming  enter- 
prise, a  circumstance  occurred  that  changed  all  my  pre- 
vious plans,  and  probably  all  my  after  life. 

Before  I  left  Farmington,  Ohio,  a  party  from  that  town 
and  vicinity  had  left  for  California,  among  whom  were 
Shurben  H.  Loveland,  Lyman  Wolcott,  James  Holly, 
Benj.  Johnston,  John  Moore  and  Daniel  Powell,  all  of 
whom  I  had  known  from  my  childhood.  James  Holly  was 
my  cousin.  I  met  a  man  from  Nevada  City  who  knew  the 
party  and  told  me  some  had  died ;  that  Holly  and  John- 
ston had  died  and  Moore  had  returned  home;  that  the 
rest  were  in  Nevada  City  and  he  could  direct  me  right  to 
their  cabin.  That  was  enough ;  nothing  less  than  a  double- 
locked  prison  would  have  been  able  to  hold  me  from  going 
at  once  to  the  boys. 

But  before  taking  the  reader  to  Nevada  City,  it  may  be 
of  interest  to  say  something  of  theMarysville  of  that  day. 
Those  who  have  known  it  in  later  years  can  judge  some- 
what of  the  change  which  time  has  wrought  between  1850 
and  1887.  When  I  first  arrived  there,  it  probably  con- 
tained about  twenty-five  hundred  inhabitants.  Nearly  all 
the  buildings  were  frames,  covered  either  with  canvas  or 
paling  split  out  of  pine,  six  feet  long,  and  nailed  on  like 
clapboards,  with  generally  a  rather  gaudy  looking  front, 
covered  with  a  flashy  sign,  especially  the  gambling  houses, 


GAMBLING.  135 

such  as  the  Montezuma,  Eldorado,  Magnolia  and  other 
similar  names.  All  these  houses  were  equipped  with  a 
drinking  bar  running  the  entire  length  of  the  building, 
where  the  frequenters  of  the  house  could  always  procure 
refreshments  for  the  inner  man  in  the  shape  of  cocktails, 
sangarees,  mint-juleps,  sherry-cobblers,  in  fact,  every  pos- 
sible concoction  that  the  mind  of  man  could  devise  to  ex- 
tract money  from  the  miner  when  he  came  down  from  the 
mines  wTith  his  nuggets  and  bags  of  dust,  and  who,  in 
almost  every  instance,  spent  his  money  like  a  prince,  or 
rather  like  a  fool.  At  the  farthest  end  of  the  room  one 
would  observe  a  platform  or  stage  for  a  band  of  musicians 
or  singers,  the  performers  varying  in  number  according 
to  the  business  of  the  house.  In  front  of  the  bar  and 
all  through  the  room  were  tables  from  four  to  six  feet 
long;  on  each  side  was  seated  a  man,  and  in  the  centre 
was  a  pile  of  silver  dollars  and  gold  coin,  principally 
doubloons,  a  Spanish  coin  equal  to  sixteen  of  our  dollars. 
At  other  tables  were  roulettes,  ABC  games,  in  fact  every 
thing  that  could  induce  the  miner  to  spend  his  money. 
The  early  history  of  gambling  in  the  gold  regions  of  the 
west  is  not  the  most  edifying  reading ;  besides,  it  is  too  long, 
and  the  story  and  the  narrator  are  often  deemed  alike 
incredible.  I  venture,  however,  to  relate  a  single  instance 
which  fell  under  my  own  observation :  Two  miners  came 
down  from  Rich's  Bar,  on  Feather  river,  on  their  way 
home  to  the  states,  with  $14,000  between  them,  and,  stop- 
ping at  Marysville  over  night,  of  course  visited  one  of  the 
gambling  houses,  made  at  first  some  small  investments  in 
the  "bank,"  which  at  first  seemed  profitable,  and  soon  got 


136  A  BOY  BUCKS  THE  TIGER. 

warmed  up  to  make  larger  investments  and  take  greater 
risks,  and  the  result  was,  the  next  morning  they  found 
their  last  dollar  gambled  away,  when  they  returned  to  the 
mines  dead  broke.  I  ought  perhaps  to  balance  the  fore- 
going instance  by  relating  another  a  little  more  cheering, 
on  account  of  the  tender  age  of  one  who  boldly  "  bucked 
the  tiger."  A  butcher  there  had  a  little  brother  about 
twelve  years  old,  who  went  into  a  gambling  house  one 
evening  with  eight  dollars,  and  at  midnight  he  went  home 
with  $2,400.  The  brother  took  it  from  him  and  laid  it 
safely  away.  The  next  day  the  boy  was  begging  of  his 
brother  to  let  him  go  back  and  try  his  luck  again,  but  he 
would  not  let  him  go  till  evening,  when  he  gave  him  eight 
dollars  more  and  let  him  start  out.  He  returned  with  $800 
more,  when  his  brother  took  it  as  before  and  promised  to 
keep  it  safe  for  him  and  invest  it  so  that  he  would  have  it 
with  interest  when  he  should  become  of  age,  and  then  told 
him  if  he  ever  went  into  a  gambling  house  again  to  gamble, 
he  would  put  him  aboard  the  next  ship  that  sailed  and 
send  him  home.  There  was  but  little  commercial  business 
done  in  Marysville,  except  a  little  packing  for  the  upper 
Feather  river.  Most  of  the  trade  went  to  Sacramento. 
Towns  were  springing  up  like  mushrooms.  Yuba  City  was 
already  noted,  but  for  not  much  more  then  than  for  its 
gambling  houses. 

One  day,  while  walking  through  the  market  of  Marys- 
ville, I  saw  some  pears  for  sale.  I  had  seen  no  fruit  yet  in 
the  country.  All  my  boyish  appetite  was  aroused.  I  took 
one  and  ate  it  and  was  about  to  take  another,  when  it  oc- 


PEACHES  AND  ONIONS.  137 

«curred  to  me  to  ask  how  much  they  were  apiece,  at  the 
same  time  pulling  out  a  silver  dollar  to  f5ay  for  the  two. 
It  somewhat  jogged  the  intellect  when  in  a  modest  and 
innocent  way  I  was  told  that  they  were  only  $2.50  apiece. 
I  suddenly  discovered  that  the  one  I  had  already  eaten  was 
sufficient  for  me  at  that  time.  I  paid  for  it  and  walked  on 
to  meet  a  vender  of  onions,  who  told  me  that  he  was  dis- 
posing of  his  vegetables  for  the  remarkably  low  price  of 
$3  a  pound.  I  purchased  of  him  one  good  large  onion  for 
$2,  and  ate  it  raw,  and  thought  I  had  never  before  tasted 
anything  half  so  delicious.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been 
no  fruit  imported  into  the  country,  except  dried  apples  and 
peaches,  which  were  to  be  had  atone  dollar  a  pound  ;  dried 
Chili  beans  at  the  same  price;  pickled  peaches  at  $16  a  gal- 
lon; jar  onions  and  cucumbers' and  other  like  pickles  at 
$8  per  half  gallon  jars.  So  it  is  manifest  that  one  had  to 
make  something  to  live ;  yet  scarcely  anyone  ever  stinted 
himself  even  at  the  above  prices.  Board  was  $21  a  week 
at  the  most  common  boarding-houses.  The  food  was 
mostly  pork  and  beans,  plenty  of  bread  and  beef,  the  lat- 
ter the  cheapest  article  of  food  in  the  country ;  dried  apple 
sauce,  tea  and  coffee,  and  all  this  ample  bill  of  fare  for  $21 
a  week,  or  for  $1.50  per  meal.  Such  was  the  case  wherever 
I  went,  up  to  the  summer  of  1851,  when  garden  vegetables 
began  to  be  raised  plentifully.  I  remember  paying  one  dol- 
lar a  pound  for  potatoes.  We  could  not  afford  ourselves 
the  luxury  of  eating  them  boiled,  but  used  to  slice  them  up 
like  cucumbers,  with  vinegar.  This  was  not  for  the  love 
of  them  in   this  style,  but    as  a  preventive  of  scurvy. 


138  POTATOES  A  PRIZE. 

When  potatoes  got  down  to  $30  a  hundred  pounds,  my- 
self and  another  bought  each  a  hundred  pounds,  and 
carried  them  on  our  backs  three  miles,  thinking  we  had  a 
great  prize. 


GOING  TO  SEE  THE  BOYS.  139 


CHAPTER  X. 

Nevada  City  —  Wood's  Ravine  — Ohio  Boys  — Miners'  Generosity  — 
Gamblers  and  Gambling —Judge  Lynch's  Court— Ohio  Party 
Rescued— Rough  and  Ready— Mrs.  Phelps  and  Her  Pies— First 
Woman  in  Nevada  City  —  Church  Bazaar  Post-office  —  The 
Scales— First  Newspaper— Deference  to  Woman. 

I  WAS  now  determined  to  see  the  Ohio  boys  at  Nevada 
City,  as  it  was  then  thus  early  called,  about  thirty-five 
miles  from  Marysville,  up  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains. 
I  struck  out  one  morning  as  soon  as  daylight  and  fol- 
lowed up  the  Yuba  river  for  some  miles,  passing  through 
a  place  called  Long  Bar.  It  was  more  than  a  mile  long. 
The  river  was  then  very  low,  for  the  snow  had  all  melted 
and  it  was  the  miners'  harvests  I  was  asked  more  than 
twenty  times  if  I  wanted  to  hire  out,  the  wages  offered 
being  sixteen  dollars  a  day.  But  as  I  had  set  my  heart 
on  finding  the  boys  from  my  old  neighborhood  in  Farm- 
ington,  Ohio,  sixteen  dollars  a  day  had  no  tempting 
charms  for  me.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  describe 
the  feelings  of  anxiety  to  see  them.  I  had  been  a  boy 
always  living  in  a  country  town,  had  never  been  among 
strangers  till  leaving  home,  and  had  seen  none  since  but 
strangers;  but  now  that  I  was  about  to  mingle  among 
my  early  childhood  companions,  it  seemed  to  me  I  could 


140  MUTUAL  GREETINGS. 

not  control  my  impatience  to  get  to  them.  But  time 
brings  an  end  to  everything,  and  so  it  did  to  my  journey 
from  Marysville  to  Nevada  City. 

I  made  Wood's  Ravine,  on  the  west  side  of  Nevada  City, 
about  four  o'clock  the  same  day.  My  informant  had 
directed  me  so  correctly  and  minutely  that  I  was  enabled 
to  go  to  their  cabin  without  difficulty  or  even  inquiry. 
I  rapped  at  the  door.  0,  how  my  heart  beat  with  anxiety 
for  fear  that  the  man  had  misinformed  me,  for  somehow 
I  had  forebodings  that  he  was  mistaken  as  to  the  party, 
and  when  a  stranger  came  to  the  door  my  heart  sank  in 
agony.  I  told  him  I  had  made  a  mistake,  I  thought. 
That  I  had  been  informed  that  a  party  lived  there  of  the 
name  of  Loveland,  Powell  and  Wolcott.  And  now  how 
my  heart  leaped  with  joy  when  I  heard  a  voice  from  within 
say,  "Yes,  Charlie,  we  are  all  here,  come  in."  That  voice 
was  Lyman  Wolcott's.  He  was  sickinbedand  thestranger 
was  taking  care  of  him.  The  other  boys  were  out  at  work 
and  would  all  be  in  at  night.  It  seemed  to  me  like  being 
at  home  again  among  my  own  people.  The  boys  did  not 
get  home  till  dark,  and  we  lit  no  light  until  they  came,  so 
as  to  see  if  they  would  know  me  by  my  voice.  Loveland 
came  first ;  he  knew  me  at  once.  I  thought  Powell  would 
not,  as  I  had  grown  considerably  since  he  had  seen  me  or 
heard  my  voice.  Soon  he  came  in  while  I  was  sitting  by 
Wolcott's  bed  talking  to  him,  and  went  directly  to  wash 
himself.  All  at  once  he  stopped  and  rushed  across  the 
cabin  to  me  and  exclaimed:  "Deacon  Ferguson  or  his 
ghost!  I  will  swear  that  is  his  voice."  Unlike  the  Dutch- 
man who  explained  that  the  reason  why  he  called  his  son 


ANOTHER   PARTY  RESCUED.  141 

Conrad  was  because  that  was  his  name,  the  boys  of  my 
neighborhood  in  Ohio  called  me  " deacon"  because  I 
had  none  of  the  sober  and  sedate  qualities  or  character- 
istics of  that  excellent  church  official.  So  neither  got  the 
laugh  on  the  other.  We  were  all  mutually  delighted  at 
this  meeting  in  this  part  of  the  world  so  remote  from  our 
native  home.  My  pleasure  was  greatly  enhanced  from 
the  fact  that  I  now  heard  from  home,  at  least  indirectly, 
which  I  had  not  since  I  left  Illinois. 

Of  course  I  was  to  stop  there.  I  could,  they  said,  do  as 
well  there,  if  not  better,  than  elsewhere.  We  would  be  all 
together,  knew  each  other,  and,  what  was  more,  they 
had  heard  from  home  and  were  expecting  a  lot  of  the  boys 
out  every  day  from  Ohio.  They  were  coming  across  the 
plains  and  were  sure  to  be  there,  they  said,  in  a  few  days. 
And  sure  enough  it  proved  true,  for  in  a  very  short  time 
they  got  word  that  the  company  were  coming  by  the 
Truckee  route,  and  were  then  camped  some  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  miles  out ;  that  their  oxen  had  given  out,  and 
what  was  worse  they  were  out  of  provisions.  They  had 
sent  word  by  some  emigrants  who  were  a  little  better  off 
and  able  to  proceed,  but  still  had  nothing  to  share.  Sel- 
dom if  ever  at  that  stage  of  the  journey  would  a  party 
have  a  surplus.  They  got  the  news  in  the  morning,  and 
by  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Loveland  and  Powell 
had  bought  five  mules  and  started  with  three  packed  with 
provisions  to  meet  the  starving  and  distressed  Ohio  boys. 
So  it  was,  universally,  throughout  California;  it  only 
needed  to  be  known  that  one  was  in  want,  and  there  were 
always  willing  hearts  and  hands,  yes,  and  money  too,  to 


142  GENEROSITY  OF  THE  MINERS. 

relieve.  No  matter  how  total  a  stranger  it  might  be  who 
was  distressed,  the  miners  rose  to  every  occasion.  There 
was  something  about  those  rough  exteriors  which  enclosed 
such  great  and  generous  hearts,  that  makes  my  very  soul 
stir  within  me  as  I  contemplate  them  now,  when  time 
and  death  and  distance  have  separated  us  forever.  They 
had  all  suffered  and  knew  what  it  was  to  suffer,  and  when 
they  heard  of  one  in  distress,  their  time,  their  money  was 
nothing — their  only  thought  was  concerning  the  most 
speedy  and  effective  relief. 

Many  are  the  gamblers  even,  whom  I  have  seen,  on  hear- 
ing of  some  poor  fellow  who  was  sick  or  in  want,  put  his 
hand  in  his  pocket  and  pull  out  twenty  or  thirty  dollars 
and  hand  it  over,  saying  nothing  more  than,  "Give  that 
to  him,"  and  try  at  the  same  time  to  look  unconcerned 
or  indifferent ;  but  scanning  his  countenance  closely,  one 
would  see  his  lips  quiver  and  his  eye  gathering  moisture 
as  he  listened  to  the  sorrowful  tale.  I  venture  to  say  right 
here  that  if  I  were  sick,  without  money,  without  acquaint- 
ance, and  among  strangers,  if  honest  and  deserving,  I 
would  rather  fall  among  those  rough  California  or  Aus- 
tralian miners,  and  gamblers  even,  than  among  many 
eastern  men  of  wealth  whom  I  know,  who  make  broad 
their  phylacteries  and  assume  the  virtues  that  should  come 
of  Christian  civilization.  The  latter  would  refer  me  to  the 
relief  committee  who  would  send  me 

"  Over  the  hills  to  the  poor-house;" 
while  the  former  would  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and 
hand  out  immediate  relief,  or  take  me  by  the  hand  and  say, 
4t  Come  along,  Cap,  you  can  turn  into  my  hut  until  some- 


GAMBLING   AND  GAMBLERS.  143 

thing  turns  up;  I  think  I  know  of  something  for  you  when 
you  are  well  enough ;  in  the  meantime,  stop  with  me  and 
we  will  see  what  can  be  done.  If  you  are  sick,  bring  a 
doctor.  Say  to  him  that  you  have  no  money.  He 
will  say,  'never  mind,  we  will  talk  of  the  pay  when  you 
get  well.'"  That  was  the  sort  of  stuff  the  early  pioneers 
of  California  were  made  up  of,  and  thousands  will  bear 
me  out  in  this  statement.  Those  were  trying  times,  and 
they  tried  the  qualities  of  men ;  and  the  nobler  instincts  of 
man  became  there  a  law  unto  themselves,  even  like  unto 
the  golden  rule  to  do  unto  others  as  you  would  like  to  be 
done  by.  Had  it  got  abroad  that  one  had  refused  to 
relieve  a  fellow  in  want,  he  would  have  been  lynched 
sooner  than  for  stealing  a  mule,  and  heaven  knows  that 
that  was  not  only  abundantly  speedy,  but  sure  as  death 
or  taxes.  However,  with  the  exception  of  cases  of  sick- 
ness, there  was  less  want  in  California,  even  at  that  time, 
than  in  any  country  I  was  ever  in 

I  abhor  gambling  in  all  places  and  in  all  forms,  whether 
it  be  in  mining  regions  or  Wall  street,  or  whether  it  be 
done  at  wholesale  or  retail.  But  society  considers  and 
treats  gambling  very  much  as  it  does  the  liquor  traffic. 
It  prosecutes  and  punishes  the  retailer  and  sends  the  dis- 
tiller and  brewer  to  the  legislature  and  to  congress.  It 
legislates  against  betting  on  elections  and  horse  racing  as 
a  bad  and  disgraceful  business.  But  betting  becomes 
respectable  and  legitimate  when  made  on  the  price  of 
wheat  in  Chicago,  or  railroad  and  mining  stocks  in  New 
York,  and  the  man  who  can  " corner"  the  wheat  market 
or  bring  to  ruin  the  original  stockholders,  whose  honest 


144       •  THIEVES  AND  ROBBERS. 

money  built  the  road,  is  a  hero,  and  such  wholesale  gatn^ 
biers  are  called  " kings."  When  the  hypocrite,  who  has 
been  regarded  by  confiding  women  and  children  as  a 
saint,  takes  up  his  permanent  residence  in  Canada,  with  the 
funds  of  a  savings  bank,  he  is  never  spoken  of  as  a  thief  or 
robber,  but  always  respectfully  referred  to  as  a  financier. 
When  a  railroad  official  converts  to  his  own  use,  or  "  mis- 
appropriates," as  the  financial  term  is,  a  million  dollars, 
his  colleagues  may  growl  a  little,  but  when  he  endows  a 
theological  seminary,  or  consecrates  a  memorial  window 
to  the  relict  of  the  deacon  of  his  church,  society  is  compla- 
cent and  rejoices  in  the  apparent  belief  that,  after  all,  his 
virtues  balanced  his  rascalities. 

When  we  came  into  California  the  territory  had  only 
just  been  annexed  to  the  United  States.  Immigration 
soon  commenced  to  pour  in  rapidly,  and  as  there  were  no 
law-makers,  consequently  there  was  no  law — at  least  we 
were  told  so  by  the  rough  element,  which  is  always  a 
numerous  class  when  a  sudden  influx  of  people  are  thrown 
together  under  great  excitement,  such  as  was  produced  by 
the  gold-fever,  and  that  class  will  find  one  another  out 
quicker  than  any  other;  but  the  better  class  are  always 
sure  to  rule  in  the  long  run,  and  so  it  was  in  California. 
The  thieves  and  robbers  boasted  that  we  had  no  law,  but 
were  told  that  laws  could  soon  be  made  for  them  and  all 
such  as  were  not  disposed  to  be  law-abiding.  And  so 
there  was,  for  as  soon  as  there  was  a  case  of  theft  or  rob- 
bery, the  culprit  was  hunted  down.  We  would  sometimes 
hear  of  men  running  around,  with  rope  in  hand,  crying 
out  for  the  hanging  of  a  thief  or  robber,  under  such  a  state 


JUDGE  LYNCH 'S  COURT.  145 

of  excitement  that  possibly  an  innocent  man  might  suffer, 
but  generally  cooler  men  would  come  to  the  front,  and 
never  in  all  my  experience  did  I  either  know  or  hear  of  an 
excited  crowd  carrying  their  designs  into  execution  until 
the  culprit  had  had  a  fair  and  impartial  trial,  according  to 
the  forms  prescribed  in  the  unwritten  code  of  Lynch  law. 
The  proceedings  of  Judge  Lynch 's  court,  which  I  have 
attended,  were  something  like  this:  The  culprit  being 
secured,  the  crowd  would  adjourn  to  some  proper  place, 
when  they  would  elect  a  judge,  who  would  be  generally 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  man  of  the  town  or 
place,  then  a  jury  of  twelve  men,  or  sometimes  a  less 
number,  of  like  character  of  the  judge,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
as  could  be  found  in  the  place,  also  a  prosecutor,  a  lawyer, 
if  possible,  also,  if  the  party  accused  had  no  friends,  they 
would  appoint  the  most  competent  man  to  be  found  for 
his  lawyer.  The  tribunal  being  thus  constituted,  wit- 
nesses were  examined  and  arguments  made  by  the  coun- 
sel, perhaps,  when  the  jury  would  bring  in  their  verdict 
of  guilty  or  not  guilty,  and  if  guilty  the  judge  passed 
sentence.  If  for  stealing,  the  sentence  was  for  a  certain 
number  of  lashes,  more  or  less,  according  to  the  enor- 
mity of  the  crime  and  the  previous  character  of  the 
culprit.  Such  was  the  invariable  course  pursued,  except 
when  the  criminal  was  caught  in  the  act,  when  no  trial 
was  deemed  necessary.  I  never  witnessed  but  one  lynch- 
ing by  hanging,  and  that  was  an  Indian.  I  shall  here- 
after have  occasion  to  allude  to  the  subject  of  Lynch  law. 
Loveland  and  Powell  found  the  boys  they  started  out 
to  relieve,  on  the  third  or  fourth  day.    The  party  consisted 


146  OHIO  PARTY  RESCUED. 

of  Henry  G.  Taft,  Homer  Stull,  brother  of  Judge  John  M. 
Stull  of  Warren,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio;  Ira  and  Amaziah 
Ross  and  Samuel  Strickland,  all  from  my  old  town  of 
Farmington,  in  that  county.  There  were  also  in  the  com- 
pany Austin  Perry  from  Mesopotamia,  same  county;  a 
Mr.  May  he  w  of  Bristol,  Trumbull  county ;  Samuel  Beecher, 
of  Mantua;  George  Raymond  of  Hiram,  Portage  county; 
and  another  man  from  the  latter  place  whose  name  I  can- 
not recall,  but  who,  poor  fellow,  was  accidentally  shot 
by  one  of  the  party,  just  as  Loveland  and  Powell  found 
them.  And  so  it  was  that,  after  all  his  toil  and  sufferings 
for  want  of  food,  he  was  killed  almost  the  same  moment 
that  relief  arrived.  So  the  camp  was  in  a  state  of  mourn- 
ing when  otherwise  it  would  have  been  a  scene  of  rejoicing. 
They  buried  him  as  Sir  John  Moore  was  buried— 

"No  useless  coffin  enclosed  his  breast." 

Their  teams  having  got  somewhat  rested,  they  started 
back  for  Nevada,  arriving  in  due  time,  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  on  both  sides,  they  that  their  long  and  toilsome 
journey  was  ended,  we  to  see  them  and  to  hear  from  our 
dear  old  home  and  the  loving  ones  we  had  left  behind. 
No  one  knows  how  dear  home  and  friends  are  unless  one 
has  been  separated  from  them.  I  know  from  sad  expe- 
rience. I  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  allude  to  many 
of  the  above  names.  Many  of  them  are  now  dead.  Some 
died  before  I  left  California,  particularly  George  Raymond, 
Horgan,  and  Austin  Perry,  whom  I  had  known  for  many 
years.  Homer  Stull  lived  to  return,  but  afterwards  died 
defending  our  flag  and  Union ;  but  his  memory  still  lives, 


NEVADA  CITY.  147 

associated  with  his  generous  spirit.  Henry  G.  Taft,  a 
specimen  of  God's  noblest  work,  still  lives  and  is  in  South 
America,  as  I  have  recently  (1887)  learned  from  his  brother 
in  Warren,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio. 

Nevada  City,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  is  not  a  town 
in  the  state  of  Nevada,  but  is  in  California  among  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  on  the  western  slope,  situated 
on  Deer  creek,  eight  miles  south  of  the  south  fork  of  the 
Yuba  river,  and  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Grass  valley, 
so  called  by  those  who  first  came  to  Nevada  City  taking 
their  cattle  there  to  pasture,  there  being  no  grass  near  the 
town.  Gold  had  not  yet  been  discovered  in  Grass  valley. 
About  half  way  between  the  two  places  was  what  was 
afterwards  called  Gold  Run,  that  eventually  proved  to  be 
very  rich,  and  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  allude  to 
hereafter.  Down  Deer  creek  about  four  miles  was  Boyer's 
Agency.  He  was  supposed  to  be  some  kind  of  an  Indian 
agent,  although  I  was  never  able  to  learn  what  he  did 
for  the  Indians  or  any  one  else  but  himself.  This  remark 
is  not  intended  in  disparagement  of  Mr.  Boyer,  but  only 
that  I  can't  see  what  the  government  or  the  Indians 
wanted  of  an  agent  there.  About  half  way  between 
Boyer's  and  Nevada  City  was  Wood's  Ravine,  so  named 
after  a  man  of  that  name  who  lived  there  and  afterwards 
officiated  as  alcalda  or  magistrate.  About  nine  miles 
down  Deer  creek  was  Rough  and  Ready  diggings,  named, 
I  suppose,  from  the  political  campaign  title  bestowed  on 
President  Taylor;  but  this  place  was  even  less  complimen- 
tary to  the  President  than  was  suggested  by  the  name, 
for  a  harder  and  more  dismal  place  I  never  saw. 


148  MRS.   PHELPS  AND  HER  PIES. 

Nevada  City  was  laid  out  in  a  deep  ravine.  It  had  its 
Main  street  and  its  Broad  street  and  its  Kiota  street  par- 
allel with  Main  and  a  few  cross  streets.  What  buildings 
were  erected  in  my  time  were  on  Main  and  Broad  princi- 
pally. On  the  south  side  of  Deer  creek  was  the  road  to 
Sacramento  and  towns  below,  and  here  Bowers  Brothers 
had  their  express  office.  They  took  letters  to  San  Fran- 
cisco for  the  modest  sum  of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
each.  I  have  paid  them  ten  dollars  at  a  time  for  letters. 
One  Baxter,  who  had  been  clerking  for  them,  finally  started 
into  the  same  business  himself,  having  his  office  on  Broad 
street.  There  was  one  business  house  in  Nevada  City, 
attractive  to  all,  and  which  was  eminently  successful  from 
the  hour  of  opening  its  front  door.  It  was  Mrs.  Phelps* 
pie  house.  Mrs.  Phelps  had  a  husband;  nevertheless,  she 
was  the  man  of  the  house.  They  had  crossed  the  plains 
and  brought  a  cooking  stove.  Upon  arriving  at  Nevada 
City,  Mrs.  Phelps  commenced  making  dried  apple  pies, 
which  sold  readily  at  one  dollar  a  pie,  and  coffee  at  ten 
cents  a  cup.  She  drove  a  wonderful  trade,  especially  on 
Sundays  when  the  miners  came  to  town,  they  having 
played  euchre  every  evening  of  the  week  to  determine  who 
should  pay  for  the  pies  when  they  went  to  the  "city." 
She  often  found  it  impossible  to  supply  the  demand  on  that 
day,  notwithstanding  her  efforts  in  anticipation  of  in- 
creased numbers.  She  soon  increased  her  facilities  for  bus- 
iness by  getting  another  stove  and  purchasing  a  couple  of 
bright-looking  cows,  which  made  her  place  look  home-like 

4 

and  were  a  great  attraction.    There  was  such  a  demand 
for  milk  that  it  readily  sold  at  a  dollar  a  pint,  and  one- 


FIRST  WOMAN  IN  NEVADA  CITY.  149 

half  water  at  that.  I  have  often  seen  her  place  literally 
thronged  with  miners  waiting  for  her  pies  to  come  out  of 
the  oven,  and  as  soon  out,  devoured.  I  think  she  was  the 
first  woman  that  arrived  in  Nevada  City.  Mrs.  Coates, 
who  came  across  the  plains,  was  the  second ;  Miss  Bowers, 
sister  of  the  Bowers  brothers,  was  the  third;  a  Mrs.  Scott, 
who  settled  out  on  Rock  creek,  was  the  fourth ;  and  Mrs. 
George  Scott  was  the  fifth.  These  women  were  a  great 
attraction,  and  had  they  put  themselves  up  on  exhibition 
they  would  have  drawn  great  houses.  But  they  were 
brave,  noble  and  virtuous  women.  They  were  not  only 
anxious  to  make  money  by  honest  industry,  but  also  to 
improve  society,  and  they  had  not  been  long  among  us 
before  their  presence  and  cheering  influence  were  felt  in 
more  ways  than  one.  They  put  shoulder  to  the  wheel, 
and  soon  a  church  was  under  way.  They  were  angels  of 
mercy,  and  many  a  poor  suffering  soul  received  assistance, 
comfort  and  consolation  from  their  motherly  and  sisterly 
hands  and  gentle  spirits.  They  were  loved  and  respected 
by  everyone  in  and  around  Nevada  City. 

The  first  storekeepers,  as  I  now  remember,  were  Davis 
&  Hurst,  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and  a  street  that  ran 
across  to  Kiota  street.  The  first  principal  bakers  and 
butchers  were  Napper  &  Webster.  Of  professional  men 
Dr.  Gardner  was  considered  the  chief.  He  died  early  in 
1851,  lamented  by  all.  Dr.  Livermore  was  a  dentist  who 
came  there  from  Sidney,  Australia.  Time  has  obliterated 
the  memory  of  many  names  with  which  I  was  then  and 
there  familiar,  but  I  recall  a  noble-hearted  southern  gentle- 
man, Dr.  Weaver,  from  Memphis,  Tennessee.     He  owned 


150  THE   CHURCH   FAIR. 

the  place  called  White  Hall,  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,, 
which  will  be  remembered  by  many  as  the  place  where  the 
ladies  held  their  first  bazaar,  for  the  building  of  the  first 
church.  I  remember  it  distinctly,  and  I  pity  the  poor 
fellows  that  were  beset  by  the  ladies  as  I  was.  Miss 
Bowers  kept  the  " post-office' '  at  that  bazaar,  and  no 
sooner  than  a  fellow  got  inside,  after  paying  two  dollars 
entrance  fee,  than  he  was  notified  by  the  pleasant  post- 
mistress that  there  was  a  letter  in  the  office  for  him.  I 
was  young  and  felt  quite  flattered  when  notified  by  that 
young  lady,  in  her  most  winsome  manner,  that  she  had  in 
her  official  keeping  a  letter  for  me.  I  stepped  up  and 
received  a  letter  at  her  hands,  and  was  in  the  act  of  return- 
ing her  gracious  smile,  as  best  fitted  my  countenance^ 
when  she  said,  in  the  sweetest  of  womanly  accents, 
"Two  dollars  and  fifty  cents."  I  paid  it  with  alacrity. 
When  I  opened  it  I  found  it  to  be  written  in  Dutch  or  In- 
dian, not  a  word  of  which  could  I  make  out.  I  was  not 
wise  enough  to  keep  the  joke  to  myself,  but  must  go  and 
tell  her.  "Dear  me,  how  stupid  I  was,"  said  she;  "but 
here  is  your  letter,"  handing  me  another.  I  was  innocent 
enough  to  receive  it,  when  the  same  sweet  seductive  voice 
repeated:  "Two  dollars  and  a  half,"  and  I  again  dis- 
charged my  obligation  to  the  post-office  without  shedding 
a  tear.  Mrs.  Phelps  ran  the  pie  and  coffee  stand,  and 
succeeded  admirably  in  her  line.  I  was  not  long  in  falling 
in  with  Mrs.  Scott,  who  kept  the  scales.  "Dear  me,"  said 
that  lady,  "is  that  you?  Why  I  hardly  knew  you.  Have 
you  been  sick?"'  I  innocently  said,  "No."  "How  I  had 
fallen  away1"    I  thought  not,  but  she  was  sure  I  had.. 


POST-OFFICE  ESTABLISHED.  151 

1  'Just  step  on  the  scales  and  she  would  see."  I  did  not 
drop  to  her  little  game,  but  like  a  simpleton  mounted  the 
scales  as  she  requested,  and  weighed  five  pounds  more  than 
usual.  "Well,  wrell,  I  was  mistaken,"  but  smiling,  she 
said:  "People  are  liable  to  be  deceived.  Two  dollars, 
please."  I  paid  it  and  walked  away,  fully  agreeing  with 
Mrs.  Scott  that  people  are  liable  to  be  deceived,  particu- 
larly at  a  ladies'  church  bazaar.  I  had  not  been  in  the 
house  more  than  an  hour  when  my  experience  had  cost  me 
about  thirty  dollars.  I  don't  remember  how  much  the 
fair  netted,  but  it  was  something  enormous.  The  miners 
were  captivated  with  the  smiles  of  the  ladies  and  were 
willing  to  pay  liberal  for  one ;  nor  were  the  ladies  sparing 
of  their  blandishments,  so  long  as  the  miners'  money  held 
out.  The  gamblers,  too,  came  in  for  their  share,  and  got 
as  handsomely  fleeced  as  they  ever  fleeced  a  poor  miner. 

Hubbard  &  Hodge  was  the  first  law  firm  I  remember. 
They  had  all  they  could  do  to  prevent  litigation  and  keep 
peace  among  the  people.  Main  street  contained  three 
large  gambling  houses,  fitted  up  in  the  most  elaborate 
style— Barker's,  Antonio's  and  George  Scott's.  Broad 
street  had  only  two,  the  Central  and  White  Hall.  There 
were,  however,  an  endless  number  of  small  concerns  that 
we  cannot  record,  both  in  and  around  Nevada.  Over  the 
hill,  near  Lessen's  tunnel,  lived  a  character  who  may 
still  be  remembered  by  some  of  the  present  residents— the 
Dutch  blacksmith,  politician  and  stump  orator.  There 
were  others  I  may  have  occasion  to  mention  hereafter. 

Early  in  1851  the  government  granted  Nevada  City  a 
post-office.    It  was  a  blessing  to  all,  for  we  could  now 


152  NEWSPAPER  AND  THEATRICALS. 

write  to  our  friends  at  home  and  send  and  receive  letters 
direct,  without  the  expense  of  two  dollars  and  a  half  ex- 
press charges  between  there  and  San  Francisco.  I  have 
forgotten  the  postmaster's  name.  About  the  same  time 
the  first  newspaper  made  its  appearance,  displaying  in 
good  clear  letters  its  title,  Nevada  Chronicle.  I  am  also 
at  fault,  at  this  late  day,  as  to  the  name  of  the  editor,  but 
have  been  told  that  the  enterprising  gentleman  became 
a  man  of  note  in  the  state,  and  was  appointed  minister 
to  Prussia  and  afterwards  to  Russia.  Davis  and  Hurst 
built  the  first  theatre  in  Nevada  City,  or  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains.  The  first  company  that  appeared  on 
its  boards  was  under  the  management  of  Dr.  Robinson. 
Many  will  remember  the  gentleman  by  his  celebrated 
Yankee  stories,  told  in  the  name  of  Hesekiah  Pickerell. 
The  first  play  I  witnessed  was  "  Christopher  Strap."  Soon, 
however,  they  aspired  to  something  higher,  as  society 
was  rapidly  becoming  more  cultivated  and  select,  and  the 
"Lady  of  Lyons "  was  placed  upon  the  boards,  Mrs.  Rob- 
inson taking  the  role  of  the  lady,  and  a  young  man  named 
Edwards  that  of  Claude  Melnotte.  Bowling  alleys  and 
billiards  were  not  long  in  coming  in,  so  that  by  the  latter 
part  of  '51  Nevada  City  society  was  not  without  abun- 
dant places  and  varieties  of  amusement.  A  store  was 
established  in  Wood's  Ravine  by  a  man  from  Arkansas, 
whose  last  name  was  James.  The  summer  of  '51  is 
especially  remembered  from  the  circumstance  of  the  death 
of  his  wife.  The  community  deeply  sympathized  with 
him,  but,  moreover,  each  person  seemed  to  mourn  as  for 


RESPECT  FOR  THE  FAIR  SEX.  153 

a  personal  affliction  and  inconsolable  loss,  such  was  the 
regard  and  reverence  for  woman  where  there  were  so  few. 
When  the  death  of  a  woman  was  announced  in  a  distant 
mining  camp,  a  sudden  sadness  and  silence  pervaded; 
men  spoke  low  to  each  other,  and  the  cabin  door  was 
opened  and  closed  lightly,  as  if  for  fear  of  disturbing  the 
dead.  James  subsequently  entered  into  a  business  partner- 
ship with  Mrs.  Coates,  whom  I  have  before  mentioned. 
They  started  a  boarding-house  in  connection  with  the 
store,  and  drove  a  flourishing  business.  Mrs.  Coates  was 
a  very  cheerfu1  woman,  and  her  kind  and  pleasant  dispo- 
sition made  her  house  very  attractive,  and  her  vivacious 
spirit  was  a  stimulating  medicine  to  my  own  and  many 
other  miner's  dreary  and  lonesome  life.  I  have  sometimes 
feared  that  an  erroneous  notion  prevailed  in  the  states 
that  the  pioneer  women  of  the  early  California  times  were 
of  a  low  order,  and  were  regarded  by  the  delvers  in  the 
mountains  and  looked  upon  by  them  as  base  adventurers 
of  an  immoral  character;  but  such  has  not  been  my  ex- 
perience. I  never  knew  a  miner  to  insult  a  woman,  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  know  a  woman  could  visit  alone  a 
camp  of  miners  and  be  treated  with  higher  consideration 
than  many  honorable  wives,  mothers  and  sisters  are 
treated  by  men  in  passing  along  the  streets  of  our  cities  in 
the  evening,  or  even  in  the  day-time.  Every  miner  seemed 
to  consider  himself  her  sworn  guardian,  policeman  and 
protector,  and  the  slightest  dishonorable  word,  action  or 
look  of  any  miner  or  other  person,  would  have  been  met 
with  a  rebuke  he  would  remember  so  long  as  he  lived,  if, 


154  a  miner's  honor. 

perchance,  he  survived  the  chastisement.    No  matter  how 
"rich  and  rare  were  the  gems  she  wore," 

"  But  blest  forever  was  she  who  relied 
Upon  a  miner's  honor  and  a  miner's  pride! " 


THE  RESCUED  PARTY.  155 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Mining  Associations— A  Claim— Rifle  Bounded— Kiote  Diggings- 
Hiring  Out— "Galena"— Senator  Stewart— Painful  Sickness- 
Poor  Man's  Creek  —  Borrowing  a  Mule  —  Another  Grizzly 
—  Perry's  Death— Ingratitude— Jumping  a  Claim— First  Min- 
ing Suit— Eviction  — The  Eyictor  Evicted  — Luck  — A  Miner's 
Superstition. 

HAVING  digressed  in  the  last  chapter  to  make  brief 
mention  of  Nevada  City  and  its  first  pioneers,  and 
while  I  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  refer  to  others  of 
them,  I  must  now  return  to  the  time  of  my  arrival  at  the. 
Ohio  boys'  hut.  In  the  company  that  Loveland  and 
Powell  went  out  to  relieve  and  bring  in,  were  two  other 
persons  whose  names  I  omitted — William  Powell,  brother, 
and  Edward  McCall  from  Parkman,  Geauga  county, 
Ohio.  The  rescued  company  all  camped  with  us  until  they 
could  build  a  hut.  Taft,  Stull,  Mayhew,  Strickland  and 
the  two  Rose  brothers  were  under  a  home  contract  of 
partnership  to  share  alike,  so  they  went  in  together. 
Many  in  that  early  day  came  out  under  like  arrange- 
ments, but  those  incipient,  home-partnerships  never  held 
long,  and  were  often  dissolved  before  they  arrived,  cer- 
tainly within  three  months  after  reaching  their  destina- 
tion ;  not  always  that  ill-feeling  existed,  but  the  thought 


156  RIFLE  BOUNDARY. 

of  being  bound  together  was  generally  sufficient  cause  for 
dissatisfaction.  So  it  was  in  their  case,  for  after  remaining 
together  about  three  months  Taft  and  Strickland  drew 
out,  while  the  other  four  remained  together  during  their 
stay  in  the  mountains.  William  Powell,  Beecher,  McCall 
and  Raymond  built  another  hut  near  by,  and  thus  our 
village  of  three  huts,  built  on  rather  elevated  ground,  got 
the  name  of  Buckeye  Hill.  There  was  a  man  in  the  party 
that  came  across  the  plains  with  Loveland  by  the  name  of 
Fisk,  from  Nelson,  Portage  county,  Ohio,  whose  brother 
had  just  arrived  by  way  of  Panama — had  contracted  the 
fever.  He  had  been  staying  with  his  brother  some  three 
months,  unable  to  work  in  the  mines ;  so  Fisk  concluded 
to  sell  out  his  interest  in  the  hut,  take  his  brother  down 
to  Sacramento  and  start  gardening.  With  the  approval 
of  the  others,  I  bought  him  out,  including  his  cooking 
utensils,  for  two  ounces  of  gold.  Wolcott  was  about  to 
leave  for  home,  and  Taft  bought  him  out  at  the  same 
price,  so  that  now  our  party  proper  consisted  of  Love- 
land,  Powell,  Taft  and  myself,  and  we  remained  together 
as  long  as  we  were  in  California.  Although  some  one  or 
more  were  at  times  away,  that  was  invariably  our  head- 
quarters and  home. 

When  the  mines  in  and  around  Nevada  Citv  were  first 
opened,  they  were  solely  in  the  ravines.  Deer  creek  was 
rockbound,  and  there  was  no  law  regulating  the  size  of  a 
miner's  claim,  and  generally  a  party  that  first  went  into  a 
ravine  had  the  exclusive  right  thereto,  or  as  much  of  it  as 
he  or  they  saw  fit  to  claim.  As  population  increased  that 
rule  did  not  long  maintain.  The  primitive  manner  of  assert- 


RULE  ESTABLISHING  CLAIMS.  157 

itig  a  claim  and  the  limits  thereof,  is  best  illustrated  by  the 
following  story:  An  old  prospector  and  miner  of  the 
hard-shell  type  used  to  take  his  rifle  with  him,  and  when 
at  work  set  it  up  against  a  tree.  One  day  a  new-comer 
arrived  in  the  ravine  and  asked  the  old  miner  some  ques- 
tions, but  the  answers  were  all  evasive;  but  when  he 
inquired  how  much  of  the  ravine  he  claimed,  the  old  fellow 
started  up  bright  and  communicative,  and,  pointing  to  the 
tree  where  his  rifle  leaned,  said .  "D'ye  see  that  rifle  there, 
stranger?"  "Yes,"  said  the  man.  "Wall,"  said  the 
miner,  "jist  as  fur  as  that  rifle  carries,  up  and  down  this 
ravine,  I  claim— and  no  further;  there,  now,  you  know." 
Then  he  went  on  about  his  work.  The  man  left,  conclud- 
ing he  would  look  for  diggings  elsewhere. 

This  state  of  things  continued,  however,  only  for  a 
short  time.  The  miners  saw  that  something  must  be  done, 
and  therefore  a  meeting  was  called  and  a  rule  was  estab- 
lished that  each  miner  could  hold  thirty  feet  square  as  a 
mining  claim,  but  was  entitled  to  buy  out  as  many  claims 
as  he  pleased,  providing  he  kept  men  at  work  on  them; 
and  that  law  held  good  while  I  remained  in  California. 
When  mines  were  first  opened,  but  few,  comparatively,  had 
any  knowledge  of  mining  gold,  and  everyone  had  a  theory 
of  his  own.  The  general  impression  was  that  gold  lay  in 
the  gravel  on  the  bed-rock,  and  so  it  did  upon  granite,  and 
even  where  the  granite  was  soft  it  worked  itself  into  that 
a  few  inches.  Many  of  the  crevices  in  the  ravines  near 
Nevada  were  slate  bed-rock  and  loose  on  the  edges,  and  the 
first  workers  only  took  off  the  gravel,  never  digging  up 
the  slate.    I  remember  Powell  telling  me  of  a  man  who 


158  THE  KIOTE  DIGGINGS. 

came  along  when  they  were  at  work  in  Wood's  ravine  and 
laughing,  said:  "What  do  you  think  those  fellows  are 
doing  up  there  (on  the  claim  above)?  Why,"  said  he, 
"they  are  digging  up  the  rock  for  a  foot  or  more  down," 
and  all  joined  him  in  the  laugh  except  Loveland,  who 
said  nothing ;  but  at  dinner  time  he  went  up  to  see  what 
they  were  doing,  and  as  they  also  had  gone  to  dinner,  he 
dug  up  two  dishes  full  of  the  rock  and  washed  it,  and  in 
about  half  an  hour  came  back  to  the  hut  with  the  gold  he 
had  obtained,  and  it  was  found  that  there  was  more  gold 
in  the  rock  than  in  the  gravel.  Thus  they  had  to  live  and 
learn.  It  was  for  a  time  believed  that  gold  was  confined 
to  the  ravines  and  gulleys,  and  that  Nevada  diggings 
would  soon  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 

Two  miners,  Heath  and  Hale,  working  the  gully  that 
ran  through  the  town,  or  where  the  town  afterwards 
came  to  be,  came  onto  a  bed  of  gravel  which  seemed  to 
run  from  the  gully  into  a  hill,  and  as  they  prospected, 
favorable  indications  increased.  They  followed  it  into  the 
hill  and  it  grew  richer  and  richer  as  they  advanced,  and 
when  they  got  in  too  far  to  strip  the  surface,  they  had  to 
tunnel  and  timber,  or  kiote,  as  they  then  called  it.  From 
this  system  the  Kiote  diggings  derived  its  name.  All  the 
hills  northwest  of  Nevada  City  proved  to  be  very  rich,  and 
gave  employment  to  thousands  for  many  years  after.  The 
Kiote  diggings  were  in  full  blast  when  I  arrived  there,  and 
there  I  did  my  first  work.  The  boys  thought  I  had  better 
hire  out  until  I  got  a  little  insight  into  the  business  and 
understood  the  working  of  the  ground ;  so  I  went  with 
them  the  first  day  and  saw  how  they  worked  and  timbered 


THE  GALENA   MINER.  159 

up  tinder  ground,  for  it  was  all  under  ground,  at  a  depth 
of  from  thirty -five  to  forty-five  feet.  I  took  particular 
notice  of  the  manner  of  timbering,  and  in  one  day  found  I 
could  do  it  as  well  as  any  of  them.  The  next  morning 
I  started  out  to  look  for  a  job.  Generally  the  first  question 
asked  me  was,  "  Where  did  you  come  from  ?"  I  truthfully 
answered,  "Ohio."  No,  they  did  not  want  me.  So  I 
traveled  that  day  to  the  tune  played  by  the  same  question 
and  answer,  till  I  began  to  think  there  was  some  prejudice 
against  Ohio  men.  I  went  home  rather  crestfallen,  and 
when  I  told  the  boys  of  my  day's  experience,  they  laughed, 
and  then  told  me  that  Galena  lead  miners  were  all  the  rage 
there.  That  gave  me  my  cue,  and  the  next  morning  I  was 
on  the  wing  bright  and  early,  and  had  just  got  into  the 
busy  region  when  I  saw  some  men  standing  around  a 
shaft,  apparently  consulting.  I  stepped  up  and  asked  if 
they  wanted  to  hire  any  hands.  They  looked  at  me,  and 
then  came  the  same  old  question,  "  Where  are  you  from  ?" 
"From  Galena,"  I  replied,  which  was  again  the  truth,  for 
I  was  a  long  way  from  it.  "You  are  just  the  man  we 
want,"  said  one  of  them.  They  said  they  had  some  men 
working  for  them  that  did  not  understand  mining — that 
they  were  about  to  lose  their  shaft,  and  asked  me  to  get 
onto  the  rope  and  go  down  and  take  a  look  at  it  and  see  if 
I  thought  it  could  be  repaired.  I  lit  a  candle,  got  on  to  the 
rope,  and  they  lowered  me  down.  I  felt  rather  skittish, 
but  my  reputation  was  at  stake,  and  it  would  not  do  to 
back  out  now  that  I  had  set  myself  up  for  a  Galena  miner. 
On  inspection  I  found  the  shaft  badly  out  of  order  and  so 
pronounced  it  when  I  appeared  on  the  surface,  but  assured 


160  THE  HELPER. 

them  that  I  could  make  it  perfectly  safe.     One  remarked 
that  he  supposed  I  would  want  a  helper.    Now  what  a 
helper  was  I  did  not  know,  but  thought  I  would  know 
when  I  saw  one.    So  I  said  of  course  I  could  not  get  along 
without  a  helper,  wondering  all  the  while  what  kind  of  a 
tool  a  helper  was.    I  felt  relieved,  however,  when  one  of 
them  called  to  a  man  passing  and  asked  him  if  he  wanted 
a  job.     "That,"  said  the  man,  "is  just  what  I  am  looking 
for."  He  was  engaged,  and  I  was  still  more  pleased  when  I 
found  he  had  just  come  across  the  plains  and  I  was  not 
liable  to  be  exposed  by  him  in  my  pretense  of  being  a  bona 
fide  Galena  miner.   Then  came  the  question  as  to  how  much 
I  would  charge.    I  looked  at  the  sun  and  remarked  that 
as  it  was  now  about  nine  o'clock,  I  would  work  that  day 
for  twelve  dollars,  but  that  if  I  worked  on  I  should  want 
sixteen  dollars  a  day.    They  told  me  to  go  ahead,  and 
down  my  helper  and  I  went.    I  set  my  helper  to  clearing 
out  the  dirt  and  rocks  that  had  fallen  down  around  the 
shaft,  while  I  took  my  measures  and  went  to  the  surface 
to  fit  my  timbers.     I  felt  safer  above  than  down  in  the 
shaft.    If  the  whole  thing  should  fall,  or  the  earth  cave  in, 
only  the  helper  would  be  killed  and  not  the  expert  Galena 
miner.    Human  nature  is  selfish  to  the  last,  even  in  the 
best  regulated  families,  and  I  confess  to  the  common  infir- 
mity.   I  got  my  timbers  all  cut  by  the  time  my  helper  got 
the  shaft  cleared  out.    Then  I  and  my  timbers  went  down 
and  we  fitted  in  the  first  set  and  made  a  good  job  of  it, 
when  I  went  home.    The  boys  wanted  to  know  how  I  got 
on,  and  I  told  them  the  whole  story,  and  we  had  a  good 


BECOMES  MANAGER.  161 

laugh  over  it,  and  from  that  time  I  went  by  the  name  of 
the  Galena  miner. 

The  next  day  I  went  back.  The  helper  proved  to  be  a 
good  hand,  having  worked  in  the  coal  mines  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  knew  more  about  such  work  than  I  did.  It  is 
an  old  saying  that  the  devil's  children  have  the  father's 
luck.  So  it  was  in  our  case,  for  we  worked  on  three  days, 
and  a  better  job  was  never  done.  When  all  was  in  order 
they  were  well  pleased  and  offered  me  the  management  of 
the  work,  the  claim  being  owned  by  parties  that  did  not 
themselves  work  at  mining.  I  remained  with  them  three 
weeks,  when  it  was  found  that  the  claim  was  not  paying. 
I  should  have  been  surprised  if  it  had.  However,  as  I  had 
been  paid  every  Saturday,  I  was  content  and  lost  no  sleep. 
My  next  employment  was  by  the  company  of  which  Love- 
land  and  Powell  were  part  owners.  Rigby  and  Peck,  two 
men  from  Oberlin,  Ohio,  had  originally  taken  up  the  claim 
and  sold  out  to  Loveland,  Powell  and  William  M.  Stew-; 
art,  since  United  States  senator  for  the  state  of  Nevada. 
He  came  from  Mesopotamia,  only  five  miles  from  my  home, 
and  to  whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to  allude  hereafter  I 
worked  for  them  three  weeks,  when  the  water  broke  in 
and  drowned  out  all  the  claims.  Mining  was  suspended 
for  three  months.  In  the  meantime  I  bought  out  Powell's 
share,  and  he  afterwards  bought  out  Stewart.  We  sold 
a  large  pile  of  wash  dirt  to  Herbert  Bowers,  one  of  the 
Bowers  brothers.  He  failed  and  we  lost  our  money. 
That's  the  way  the  world  wagged  then  and  there. 

For  a  long  time  I  had  been  feeling  that  something  was 
wrong  with  me.    I  had  never  felt  so  before— sluggish,  tired, 


162  SCURVY  TREATMENT. 

lazy — the  latter  I  had  never  been  guilty  of  before.  Finally 
my  gums  got  sore  and  began  to  bleed,  and  I  became  sub- 
ject to  excruciating  pains.  The  boys  sent  for  Dr.  Gardner, 
who  pronounced  it  scurvy,  contracted  in  crossing  the 
plains,  induced  by  exposure,  anxiety  of  mind  and  starva- 
tion He  prescribed  spruce  boughs  boiled  to  a  strong 
tea,  which  I  was  to  drink,  and  nothing  else.  A  wash  of 
the  same  with  vinegar  and  tinctured  with  cayenne  pepper, 
including  a  steam  bath  of  the  same,  at  a  pretty  high 
pressure,  were  the  doctor's  directions  to  the  boys  for  my 
daily  treatment.  It  was  pretty  tough  treatment,  harder 
to  bear  than  any  I  had  ever  inflicted  during  my  professional 
career  among  my  Oregon  patients.  I  was  put  through 
the  steam  kettle  process  by  the  boys  for  ten  days;  was 
helpless  as  an  infant,  having  to  be  carried  to  and  from 
my  bed.  The  painful  part  of  my  affliction  seemed  to  be  in 
my  feet  and  legs.  The  only  way  for  a  long  time  I  could 
get  at  ease  was  in  lying  on  my  back  on  the  floor  and  put- 
ting my  feet  on  the  table,  a  luxury  I  dearly  paid  for  after- 
wards, for  when  I  came  to  put  them  on  a  level  with  my 
body,  the  pain  was  still  more  unbearable.  I  would  pity 
the  meanest  dog  in  the  world  that  had  the  scurvy.  But 
thanks  to  Dr.  Gardner,  the  boys,  the  steam  kettle  and 
raw  potatoes  sliced  in  vinegar,  after  some  two  weeks  my 
pains  left  me,  and  " Richard  was  himself  again,"  though 
rather  thin  and  scanty,  for  I  could  put  my  finger  on  the 
calf  of  my  leg  or  on  any  fleshy  part  of  my  body  and 
press  it  to  the  bone,  and  the  indentation  would  remain 
for  half  an  hour,  and  when  the  flesh  or  skin  resumed  its 
smoothness  again,  a  black  spot  would  mark  the  place  of 


BORROWS  A  MULE.  163 

the  pressure.  If  my  readers  think  the  above  descrip- 
tion of  "scurvy  treatment"  unnecessary,  my  apology  is 
that  it  is  for  their  benefit;  should  they  ever  get  a  little 
mangy  and  unable  to  get  a  doctor,  they  can  avail  them- 
selves of  the  prescription  in  my  case.  As  I  have  lived  to 
tell  the  story  I  venture  to  pronounce  the  above  remedy, 
in  the  language  of  learned  Sierra  Nevada  doctors,  a  "never 
failing  antiscorbutic." 

Although  I  now  called  myself  well,  yet  I  felt  I  was  not 
the  same  person  I  was  before.  Powell  and  myself  con- 
cluded to  go  up  to  a  place  called  Poor  Man's  Creek,  hav- 
ing been  offered  a  chance  there  by  some  parties  who  had 
come  down  for  provisions.  They  had  a  good  warm  hut 
already  built,  so  we  bought  a  share  in  their  provisions 
and  tools  and  started  up  in  a  few  days.  The  Creek  was 
about  thirty  miles  from  Nevada,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
south  fork  of  Yuba  river.  I  had  overrated  my  strength, 
and  found  I  could  not  work  In  fact,  I  gave  out  before 
we  got  to  the  Creek  and  what  to  do  we  did  not  know, 
but  seeing  a  mule  that  had  strayed  away  from  someone 
I  said,  "If  I  could  catch  thatmule  I  would  ride  him,"  al- 
though I  knew  that  if  caught  it  would  be  a  case  for 
hanging.  Powell  said  he  could  catch  him,  and  he  did. 
We  made  a  bridle  of  the  ropes  we  had  around  our  blankets, 
put  the  blankets  across  his  back,  and  Powell  lifting  me  on 
we  proceeded,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  owner 
of  the  mule.  Soon  Powell  got  tired  out  and  he  got  on 
behind  me,  I  telling  him  that  if  we  were  to  be  hung  for 
the  mule  we  might  as  well  get  all  we  could  out  of  him. 
He  was  a  large,  strong  animal  and  carried  us  both  splen- 


164  PURSUIT  OF  THE  GRIZZLY. 

didly.  At  night,  after  our  arrival,  we  fed  him  a  large  loaf 
of  bread  and  Powell  took  him  to  a  place  where  there  was 
good  feed  and  started  him  on  the  back  track,  and  that 
was  the  last  we  ever  saw  or  heard  of  the  mule.  It  was 
a  good  thing  we  started  the  mule  back  that  night,  for  it 
began  to  snow,  and  I  never  saw  snow  fall  as  it  does  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  It  was  soon  fully  four  feet 
deep  on  a  level,  and  we  were  snowed  in  tight  and  fast. 
We  had  nothing  to  do,  as  we  could  not  get  out  to  our 
claim  to  work.  We  read  all  the  books  we  had,  told  all  the 
stories  we  had  ever  heard  aud  all  we  could  invent. 

One  day  the  monotony  of  the  hut  was  broken  by  one 
of  the  boys,  when  he  came  running  in,  his  eyes  extending 
from  their  sockets,  saying,  "Boys,  boys,  I've  seen  a  grizzly 
bear!  a  monster !"  We  hardly  believed  him  at  first,  but 
when  he  persisted  so  earnestly  in  the  truth  of  his  state- 
ment, we  concluded  there  was  something  in  it ;  so  I  went 
out  but  did  not  see  the  bear,  but  did  see  his  unmistakable 
path  in  the  snow.  I  went  in  and  loaded  up  our  guns  and 
pistols  and  we  started  in  pursuit.  The  snow  was  so  deep 
we  could  only  wallow  through  and  that  only  by  keeping 
in  the  great  furrow  plowed  by  the  bear.  We  followed  for 
some  time,  but  could  get  no  nearer,  apparently,  than  when 
we  first  started,  and  it  is  my  impression  that  there  was 
not  a  man  among  us  that  wanted  to  get  any  nearer  the 
mighty  beast  than  we  were  already.  I  confess  I  did  not, 
and  I  was  not  the  biggest  coward  in  the  party  either.  We 
had  followed  the  bear  nearly  an  hour  when  we  gave  up 
the  chase  and  returned.  One  of  the  boys  attempted  to 
discharge  his  gun  but  found  he  could  not.    Then  we  tried 


RETURN  TO  NEVADA.  165 

every  gun  and  pistol,  and  found  to  our  surprise  that  not 
one  would  "go  off."  The  secret  was  that  we  had  wal- 
lowed through  the  snow  until  the  caps  had  become  wet, 
and  we  congratulated  ourselves  that  we  had  not  overtaken 
Mr.  Grizzly. 

We  had  now  been  snowed  in  some  four  weeks,  and  it  be- 
came more  and  more  tedious  hibernating  in  that  lonely 
place,  so  Powell  and  myself  thought  to  get  out  in  the  world 
once  more,  and  made  a  break  for  Nevada.  Following  the 
creek  about  eight  miles,  we  reached  the  Yuba  river.  This 
route  was  much  longer  than  the  one  by  which  we  came, 
but  we  thought  we  would  get  out  of  the  snow  sooner  by 
this  way ;  besides,  there  would  be  a  hut  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek  where  we  could  stay  over  night.  Having  started 
early  in  the  morning,  we  wallowed  on  eight  miles,  reaching 
Moore  and  Peck's  hut  at  dark.  They  were  from  Mes- 
opotamia, Ohio.  Austin  Perry,  to  whom  I  have  before 
alluded,  had  been  with  them  for  a  time  and  was  out  of 
health,  had  had  a  job  of  clerking  for  the  Jameses,  but  was 
unable  to  stand  even  this  kind  of  labor,  and  on  inquir- 
ing about  him  at  Moore  and  Peck's,  we  were  pained  to 
learn  that  he  had  died  the  Sunday  previous.  We  were  told 
that  his  last  request  was  for  a  drink  of  water;  that  after 
breakfast,  one  went  to  ask  him  if  he  would  have  a  cup  of 
coffee,  but  was  surprised  to  find  that  poor  Austin  Perry 
was  no  more.  He  was  a  young  man,  well  liked  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  always  had  a  pleasant  word  for  everyone, 
and  he  deserved  a  better  fate. 

We  reached  Nevada  at  noon  the  next  day,  having  made 
twenty-five  miles  in  half  the  time  it  had  taken  us  to  make 


166  CLAIM  JUMPED. 

eight  the  day  before.    We  now  found  that  Homer  Stull, 
Mayhewand  the  two  Roses  were  about  starting  for  home. 
The  next  day  after  we  had  left  Nevada,  they  struck,  in  a 
dry  gulch  near  their  hut,  very  rich  diggings,  but  they  never 
told  one  of  their  acquaintances  who  had  spent  time  and 
money  to  take  them  provisions  and  rescue  them  from  starva- 
tion a  hundred  miles  away  in  the  wilderness,  but  let  in 
strangers  after  they  had  made  their  pile.    They  sold  their 
claim  to  one  of  the  Perrys  for  a  mere  song,  who  took  out 
more  than  twice  as  much  after  them.    The  world  seems  to 
wag  strangely  sometimes— rescue  a  man  from  death,  nurse 
him  and  feed  him,  and  ten  chances  to  one  he  will  never  re- 
quite the  favor,  but  if  he  has  one  to  bestow,  the  stranger  is 
the   recipient.     We   found    also   that   Peck    and    Rigby 
had  jumped  our  flooded  claims.    They  were  the  men  we 
bought  of,  and  we  were  not  at  all  surprised,  as  we  had  no 
reason   to  expect    otherwise,    for    we    knew    they   were 
scoundrels,   at  least  Rigby  was,   and  Peck  was  a  fool, 
which  is  worse,  for  I  had  rather  deal  with  a  rogue  than 
with  a  fool.    But  Powell  and  I  were  not  to  be  bluffed  out 
of  our  claim.    I  went  to  see  Rigby,  but  he  would  do  noth- 
ing but  sell  to  us,  so  we  got  our  tools  and  went  to  sinking 
a  shaft.     Rigby  came  out  and  made  a  great  bluster,  but 
we  were  not  to  be  bounced  by  word  of  mouth,  so  he  went 
back,  and  the  next  day  we  were  served  with  legal  process  ; 
but  we  kept  right  on  until  the  day  of  trial,  having  finished 
the  shaft  the  same  day.    Our  lawyer  made  the  point  that 
one  partner  could  not  jump  a  claim  against  his  co-partner, 
but  the  court  overruled*  him  and  we  were  beaten.    That 
was  the  first  mining  suit  in  Nevada.    As  we  had  finished 


LAWSUIT  AND  EVICTION.  167 

the  shaft  a  little  before  the  trial,  which  was  on  a  Saturday, 
we  had  taken  out  considerable  wash  dirt,  which  is  the  pay- 
ing dirt  sought  for  in  such  diggings,  and,  therefore,  early 
Sunday  morning  Powell  and  I  got  up  and  set  our  long 
torn,  as  it  was  called,  and  commenced  to  wash  the  dirt  we 
had  taken  out.  Rigby  heard  us  and  started  for  the 
sheriff,  told  what  we  were  doing  and  demanded  that  he 
should  be  put  in  immediate  possession,  but  cautioned  the 
sheriff  to  be  careful,  as  we  were  desperate  men.  Soon  the 
sheriff  was  on  the  ground  with  his  posse,  and  came  to  me 
where  I  was  washing.  I  undertook  to  argue  with  him  to 
gain  time,  while  Powell  went  down  to  see  our  lawyers, 
Hubbard  and  Hodge.  But  Rigby  got  impatient  and 
ordered  the  sheriff  to  do  his  duty,  so  he  asked  me  to  re- 
move our  tools,  and  called  his  posse  to  help  me.  They 
took  the  long  torn,  after  shutting  off  the  water,  and  carried 
it  off  the  claim.  As  the  water  ran  off,  I  saw  the  yellow 
gold  glittering  in  the  box.  I  seized  hold  of  it  and  carried 
it  off  bodily  about  fifty  yards  farther,  although  at  any 
ordinary  time  it  would  have  taken  two  men  to  do  it,  but 
the  sight  that  I  had  seen  gave  me  for  the  moment  super- 
human strength — the  gold  was  so  thick  in  the  wet  mass  in 
the  box  that  it  looked  like  yellow  pudding.  I  emptied  the 
richest  into  a  tin  dish  and  sunk  it  in  a  pool  of  water,  then 
cleaned  out  the  riffle  bar  and  put  the  contents  into  another 
dish,  and  commenced  to  pan  it  out  carefully-  Rigby  came 
around,  as  I  knew  he  would,  to  have  a  look  at  it.  I  was 
very  civil  to  him  and  washed  the  little  I  had  left  in  the  box 
down  carefully  and  showed  him  the  contents  of  the  dish, 
remarking  that  the  whole  thing  was  not  worth  quarreling 


168  THE  EYICTOR  EVICTED. 

about.  He  expressed  his  disappointment  and  said  he 
thought  it  was  better,  or  he  would  not  have  stood  out 
about  it.  So  I  knew  he  did  not  mistrust  that  I  was  de- 
ceiving him.  After  he  had  gone  Powell  came,  and  we 
washed  out  what  I  had  hid  away,  and  it  turned  out  greatly 
beyond  our  expectations.  There  was  over  two  hundred 
dollars  worth  of  pure  gold  in  what  we  had  already  washed 
out,  and  as  much  more  dirt  on  top,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
shaft,  to  be  washed  by  somebody.  How  to  buy  the  claim 
of  Rigby  was  now  the  question,  for  if  we  went  to  him, 
he  would  drop  on  our  game,  as  the  expression  was.  The 
people  around  were  all  in  our  favor,  for  they  considered  he 
had  acted  a  mean  part  in  jumping  his  partners,  and  were 
glad  when  it  turned  out  so  poorly,  as  they  supposed  it 
had.  Sam  Beecher  had  chafed  Rigby  and  Peck  about  it, 
and  asked  them  what  they  would  take  for  the  claim — we 
had  sent  him  for  that  very  purpose.  They  would  take, 
they  said,  $125.00.  We  told  him  to  offer  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, givinghim  that  amountin  the  very  gold  we  had  taken 
out  to  pay  for  it.  The  offer  was  made  and  accepted,  the 
gold  weighed  out  and  in  Rigby's  purse,  but  when  he  came 
to  make  the  bill  of  sale,  he  was  thunderstruck  when  told 
to  make  it  out  to  Powell  and  Ferguson. 

We  washed  out  the  next  day  from  the  remainder  of  the 
dirt  over  two  hundred  dollars  worth  more,  and  then  sold 
the  claim  to  a  party  from  New  Zealand  for  four  hundred 
dollars.  So  in  the  long  run  we  came  out  ahead  of  Rigby, 
and  the  party  we  sold  to  did  well.  They  also  bought  two 
or  three  other  claims  of  Powell  and  myself,  claiming  that 
they  had  better  luck  in  buying  of  us  than  of  anyone  else. 


BELIEF  IN  LUCK.  169 

Miners  are  always  superstitious  about  luck.  No  matter 
how  it  goes  with  them,  everything  is  attributed  to  luck, 
and  a  philosopher  would  sometimes  almost  think  some  men 
were  guided  by  some  unseen  influence  or  power,  for  I  have 
known  men  for  years  who,  no  matter  what  enterprise  they 
•enlisted  in,  were  sure  to  triumph ;  and  then,  possibly,  luck 
would  forsake  them  and  leave  them  in  poverty,  where  the 
fickle  goddess  of  fortune  first  found  them.  Nevertheless, 
you  can't  make  an  old  miner  believe  but  that  there  is  some- 
thing in  luck. 


170  GOLD  RUN  DIGGINGS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Gold  Run— Shaft  Sinking— Timbering— Wash  Dirt— The  Enterprise 
Company— Kiote  Hills  Tunneling— Grass  Valley— A  Midnight 
Cry— Quartz  Mining— Mortar  and  Pestle— First  Stamp  Mills- 
Mark  Twain's  Experience— Job's  Patience— Mrs.  Coates— Team- 
ing to  Sacramento— Lost  and  Found— No  Thanks— Where's  My 
Coat  ?— Chief  Cook— Nevada  in  Flames— Doctors'  Duel— Crimes 
and  Punishments— Dueling— Bull-fighting— Women  and  Improved 
Society— Indian  Dances  and  Funeral  Fashions. 

AFTER  selling  out  our  Nevada  claims  to  the  New 
Zealanders,  Powell  and  I  went  over  to  Gold  Run, 
about  half  way  between  Nevada  City  and  Grass  Valley, 
where  there  had  been  a  late  rush.  These  grounds  had 
been  worked  a  little  about  the  time  of  the  first  opening  of 
the  Nevada  City  mines,  but  the  diggings  were  wet  at  that 
time,  and  the  miners  did  not  understand  how  to  contend 
with  the  water  as  they  did  eighteen  months  later,  nor  did 
they  know  anything  about  driving,  or  kioting,  as  it  was 
then  called ;  and  the  whole  territory  being  a  marsh,  it  had 
to  be  boxed,  that  is,  solid  timbered.  The  process  was  to 
sink  a  shaft  to  the  bed-rock,  timbering  up  as  they  went 
down,  with  slabs,  split  from  pine  logs,  varying  in  width 
from  six  to  ten  inches,  and  at  least  two  inches  thick. 
After  reaching  bed-rock,  a  well-hole  had  to  be  sunk  in  the 


MINING  PROCESS.  171 

rock  to  receive  the  drainage  of  the  shaft,  large  enough  to 
allow  a  bucket  to  fill  itself  in  bailing  out  the  water.  This 
being  accomplished,  they  commenced  to  open  a  horizontal 
drive  on  the  face  of  the  rock,  timbering  as  they  proceeded, 
by  putting  down  a  sill,  with  notches  in  the  ends  the  thick- 
ness of  the  posts,  with  a  cap  piece  about  three  inches 
shorter  than  the  sill,  so  as  to  allow  a  little  slant  to  the 
posts,  which  increased  their  firmness.  If  timbers  are  thus 
placed  and  well  fitted,  they  may  possibly  be  crushed,  but 
otherwise  will  never  give  way.  The  crib  being  made 
ready  for  opening  the  drive,  take  out  the  bottom  slabs  of 
the  shaft,  on  the  side  of  the  intended  drive,  to  the  height 
of  from  four  to  six  feet,  and  as  the  dirt  in  the  drive  is 
removed,  put  in  the  second  set  of  timbers,  lathing  the  top 
with  heavy,  stout  slabs,  and  the  sides,  also,  if  necessary ; 
this  is  called  box-driving.  In  some  very  soft  or  sand\r 
ground  another  set  of  timbers,  which  miners  call  pre- 
ventive cr  temporary,  are  required  for  every  two  feet 
advance,  and  as  they  are  put  in  the  lath  timbers  are 
driven  along  from  the  last  set  over  the  preventive  set; 
then  remove  the  dirt  for  two  feet  more,  and  repeat  the 
process,  following  up  with  the  main  timbers.  At  Gold 
Run  the  nature  of  the  ground  was  such  that  it  had  to  be 
solid  timbered. 

Some  old  California  miner,  who  may  possibly  read  this 
page,  will  not  unlikely  say:  "What  is  the  use  of  telling 
us  about  mining  shafts  and  drivers  and  sluices?  Don't 
we  know  all  about  it?"  Yes,  very  true,  and  I  am  not 
unmindful  of  the  folly  of  carrying  coals  to  Newcastle,  but 
am  conscious,  nevertheless,  of  a  new  generation  who  do 


172  HIRING  OUT. 

not  know  the  process  of  primitive  gold-mining  in  Califor- 
nia, nor  of  the  hard  and  toilsome  labor  of  him  who  delved 
for  gold  in  '49.  The  hard  realities  of  the  miner's  life 
divest  the  golden  age  of  nearly  forty  years  ago  of  much 
of  its  poetry  and  romance. 

Powell  and  myself  both  hired  out  to  one  company  to 
work  exclusively  underground,  timbering  in  a  drive. 
Each  had  a  helper  to  wheel  away  the  dirt  to  the  shaft, 
bring  the  timber  and  assist  in  placing  it.  Their  labor  was 
by  far  the  hardest,  yet  they  received  three  dollars  a  day 
less  than  we.  The  whole  ground  was  one  moving  bog 
from  the  surface  to  the  wash  dirt,  which  was  about  one 
foot  thick,  and  the  width  of  paying  dirt  was  estimated 
from  five  to  one  hundred  feet.  The  company  consisted  of 
ten  in  number  and  held  ten  thirty-foot  claims  and  were 
agreeable  men,  but  their  names  are  forgotten  if  I  ever 
knew  them,  for,  as  I  have  in  a  former  chapter  remarked, 
at  that  time,  in  California,  one  might  be  intimate  with 
another  for  months  and  not  know  each  other's  names, 
except  as  Tom  or  Jack  or  Bill.  If  one  had  a  second  name 
it  was  generally  merely  descriptive,  as,  Feather  River  Bill,  to 
distinguish  him  from  some  other  Bill.  It  was  only  by  mere 
accident  that  the  full  name  and  residence  of  an  acquaint- 
ance was  learned.  Thus  hundreds  were  forever  lost  to 
their  friends  at  home.  But  it  was  no  fault  of  the  miners, 
for  they  would  have  been  promptly  advised  by  letter  had 
they  been  possessed  of  the  names  and  address  of  distant 
friends. 

I  worked  in  Gold  Run  some  two  months  and  left, 
Powell  remaining     I  could  not  stand  working  in  that 


THE  ENTERPRISE  COMPANY.  173 

water,  a  large  stream  of  which  was  running  in  the  drive, 
and  the  drippings  from  the  buckets  at  the  shaft.  All  who 
worked  below  were  wet  through.  The  claim  furnished 
water  enough  to  wash  out  all  the  dirt  they  raised,  which 
was  no  small  amount,  for  they  kept  their  long  torn  run- 
ning night  and  day.  Working  was  by  shifts  of  eight  hours 
each.  I  have  stopped  in  a  drive  until  I  was  obliged  to 
crawl  out  on  my  belly,  shoving  my  tools  ahead  of  me,  on 
account  of  twisting  or  skewing  of  the  boxing  in  the  wet 
soil .  I  have  known  shafts  twist  half  around  and  close 
up  so  a  bucket  could  not  pass  up  and  down. 

As  I  had  come  to  California  with  lofty  aspirations  and 
not  to  wear  out  my  old  clothes,  as  many  pretended  they  did, 
I  became  dissatisfied  with  working  for  wages,  and  con- 
cluded to  join  a  company  to  tunnel  one  of  the  Kiote  hills 
to  which  I  have  before  alluded.    Some  of  the  old  Kiote  dig- 
gings had  become  wet  and  consequently  were  opened  at 
great  labor  and  expense,  and  tunneling  was  the  next  process 
to  be  resorted  to.   Lessen's  tunnel  had  alreadybeen  started 
in  the  ravine  below  the  hill,  as  it  was  then,  for  I  don't 
know  as  there  is  any  such  hill  there  now,  as  I  have  not 
been  there  since  1852,  but  many  will  remember  where  it 
was  then.    That  tunnel  was  put  in  to  drain  one  side  of 
the  hill,  and  proved  a  good  speculation.    Our  plan  was 
to  drain  the  other  side  by  a  longer  tunnel,  as  the  diggings 
went  further  into  the  hill  the  wetter  they  got.     Sixteen 
persons  constituted  "  The  Enterprise  Company. ,r    Among 
the  names,  so  far  as  I  can  now  remember  them  in  full,  were: 
L.  0.  Hart,  Chester  Babbet,  H.  G.  Taft,  Sherban  Loveland, 
John  Hunter,  Richard  Bean  and  C.   D.  Ferguson.    There 


174  RICH   BUT  DID  NOT   KNOW  IT. 

were  also  Coates,  James  and  Johnston.     All  other  names 
have  passed  out  of  memory.    Our  tunnel  when  completed 
was  one  thousand  three  hundred  feet  long,  six  feet  in  the 
clear,  and  solid  timbered— some  parts  rock  cut,  some  quick- 
sand, and  all  expensive.    Our  tunnel  was  very  wet,  and  a 
vast  amount  of  quicksand  was  constantly  flowing  out. 
We  worked  five  months  in  the  enterprise,  and  when  we 
had  run  into  the  hill  where  we  expected  to  strike  the 
lead     of    paying    dirt,    we    found    nothing    but    quick- 
sand,   and    had    to    abandon    it.      Many    years    after, 
when    I    had    become    more    experienced    in    mining,     I 
could  see  where  we  had  been  deceived.    A  shaft  was  sub- 
sequently put  down,  not  far  distant  in  the  same  hill,  by  a 
party,  one  of  them  named  Mario,  from  Iowa,  and  had 
struck  gold  about  sixty  feet  down  on  a  false  bottom,  but 
went  on  through  it  to  the  main  rock;  the  water,  how- 
ever, was  so  strong  they  could  not  work  it  and  were  com- 
pelled to    abandon    it,   but    a   year    afterwards    it   was 
discovered  that  our  tunnel  had  drained  the  shaft,   when 
they  resumed  work  on  the  false  bottom  and  found  it  to 
be  very  rich.      Some    years    afterwards    Powell  worked 
it    on    wages,  and  I  was  informed  that  he    had    taken 
out  as  high  as  three    thousand    seven    hundred  dollars 
in  a  day.    Mr.  Lewis  Taft  also  told  me  he  had  known 
it   to    yield   from    two    dollars  up    to    sixty  to  the  tin 
dishfull,  and  all  worked  out  by  reason  of  the  drainage  of 
our  tunnel.    So  in  all  probability  we  but  just  barely  missed 
making  our  pile,  and  all  for  the  want  of  a  little    more 
experience.     Such  was  the  fate  of  many  other  pioneer 
miners  in  California.    The  first  do  not  always  find  reward 


ENGINEERING— SLUICE-BOXES.  175 

in  their  enterprises ;  they  only  open  up  the  way,  and  others 
who  come  along  years  afterwards,  perhaps,  reap  the  benefit 
of  their  hard  toil  and  great  expenditures. 

After  the  Kiote  hills  had  been  opened  and  consequently 
drained,  there  came  a  scarcity  of  water,  so  that  dirt  had 
to  be  hauled  to  Deer  creek,  a  mile  or  more,  at  great  ex- 
pense, which  prevented  many  claims  from  paying.  An 
enterprising  man,  Charles  Marsh,  an  engineer,  undertook 
to  bring  water  by  a  ditch  from  Rock  creek  around  Sugar 
Loaf  mountain,  a  distance  of  five  miles.  It  was  regarded 
as  a  doubtful  enterprise,  but  it  succeeded.  The  creek, 
however,  was  small  and  the  supply  was  not  ample,  but 
it  was  the  beginning  of  what  afterwards  proved  a  great 
boom  to  Nevada  City.  Marsh  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
supply  for  the  diggings  round  about.  He  made  a  large 
reservoir  to  hold  the  water  nights  and  Sundays,  selling  it 
out  at  the  rate  of  an  ounce  of  gold  a  day  to  the  first  user, 
to  the  next  below,  half  an  ounce,  to  those  lower  down  a 
further  reduction,  when  at  last  it  found  its  way  into  Deer 
creek. 

William  M.  Stewart,  since  United  States  senator 
for  the  state  of  Nevada,  early  had  his  eye  open  to 
business.  Many  laughed  when  he  first  engaged  in 
it.  It  was  putting  in  a  long  line  of  sluice-boxes 
running  down  the  gully  some  three  or  four  hundred 
feet,  letting  in  all  the  tailings  and  water  that  run 
from  the  miners'  toms.  He  kept  a  man  on  them  con- 
stantly through  the  day  with  a  sluicing  fork,  stirring 
up  the  dirt  and  keeping  it  loose.  On  Sundays,  when  the 
miners  were  not  working,  he  cleaned  out  his  boxes — with 


176  QUARTZ  GOLD  DISCOVERY. 

what  result  none  ever  knew,  except  those  interested,  and 
they  kept  it  to  themselves.  I  can  now  see  that  it  must 
have  contributed  largely  to  his  fortune,  for  much  of  the 
dirt  was  not  half  washed  as  it  ran  out  of  the  various 
toms  of  the  miners  and  found  its  way  into  the  future  sen- 
ator's sluice-boxes.  At  any  rate,  it  doubtless  paid  him 
better  than  running  for  the  office  of  sheriff  at  the  first 
county  election  in  Nevada  in  which  he  was  badly  beaten, 
notwithstanding  his  generous  contributions  to  the  ex- 
penses of  his  campaign.  He  was  not,  however,  an  unpop- 
ular man. 

The  success  of  Marsh's  enterprise  awakened  others. 
Two  large  companies  were  soon  formed,  and  two  more 
ditches  were  dug,  this  time  up  Deer  creek.  More  water 
was  needed,  and  there  was  no  lack  of  spirit  in  Nevada 
City.  Only  let  the  people  see  there  was  a  want  of  some 
improvement  and  the  least  prospect  that  the  scheme 
would  pay,  and  money  was  plenty  for  it.  Rock  creek 
ditch  had  demonstrated  the  practicability  and  profit  of 
such  works.  There  were  plenty  of  surface  diggings  that 
would  pay  if  water  could  be  brought  from  Deer  creek, 
which  was  an  ample  stream  to  supply  the  wants  of  all. 
The  two  ditches  were  built  in  an  incredibly  short  time. 
Competition  brought  water  rents  down  so  that  surface 
diggings  would  pay,  miners  make  good  wages  and  yet 
the  companies  good  dividends.  The  benefit  was  alike  to 
the  miners  and  the  public. 

About  the  middle  of  1851  Nevada  City  wras  startled  by 
a  "midnight  cry"  from  Grass  Valley.  It  was  the  quartz 
gold  discovery,  reputed  to  be  wonderfully  rich,  but  difficult 


\ 


STAMP  MILLS.  177 

to  work,  though  men  were  making  good  wages  pounding 
it  with  mortar  and  pestle.  Soon  it  was  seen  that  some 
process  must  be  devised  to  get  the  gold  out  easier  and 
faster.  Judge  Walsh  and  a  Mr.  Collins  were  the  pioneers 
in  quartz  mills.  It  was  in  such  a  mill,  some  years  later, 
that  Mark  Twain  tells  of  his  first  job.  He  says  he  hired 
out  at  one  hundred  dollars  a  month  to  feed  the  stamps, 
and  after  working  a  month  to  their  entire  satisfaction  they 
wanted  to  keep  him  on  at  the  same  wages.  He  offered  to 
remain  at  five  hundred  dollars  a  month,  but  the  indignant 
proprietors  ordered  him  off  the  premises,  and  he  was  after- 
wards sorry  he  did  not  say  a  thousand,  as  they  would 
have  given  it  as  readily  as  they  would  five  hundred.  I 
differ  from  Mr.  Twain  in  my  notion  of  the  value  of  a 
month's  services  then  and  there,  for  I  would  not  be  hired 
to  tend  and  feed  such  a  machine  for  a  thousand  dollars  a 
month.  It  was  four  head  of  stamps  with  wooden  shanks, 
and  the  most  it  could  do  was  to  pound  out  two  tons  of 
quartz  a  day.  Job  was  reputed  a  patient  man,  but  he 
never  tended  a  quartz  mill  like  the  first  one  in  Grass  Valley, 
and  had  his  miserable  comforters  offered  him  a  like  situa- 
tion, he  would,  or  ought  to  have  been  requested  to  retire. 
Had  the  grand  old  patriarch  worked  a  month  in  such  a 
quartz  mill,  the  record  of  his  noble  and  patient  character 
would  never  have  come  down  to  our  time. 

About  this  time  the  Bunker  Hill  Quartz  Mining  com- 
pany was  organized  in  Nevada  City,  but  I  did  not  take 
any  stock  in  it  for  the  reason,  principally,  that  old  Rigby 
was  to  be  the  manager  of  it,  and  I  could  take  no  stock  in 
him  or  in  anything  he  had  anything  to  do  with.    A  Dr. 


178  BUNKER   HILL  COMPANY. 

Rodgers  expected  to  astonish  the  world  with  his  quartz 
smelting  process.  The  company  went  to  great  expense  in 
building  a  furnace,  putting  in  a  large  water-wheel,  rollers 
to  crush  the  quartz,  purchasing  thousands  of  cords  of 
wood  for  charcoal  and  constructing  large  fans  to  blow 
the  fires  of  the  furnace  and  puff  to  eternity  the  fame  of  Dr. 
Rodgers.  Everything  being  prepared,  all  there  would  be  to 
do  would  be  to  put  in  the  charcoal,  then  the  quartz  on  top, 
light  the  fire,  put  the  fans  in  motion,  then  run  off  the  gold 
in  the  bottom  of  the  furnace,  thus  already  smelted,  into 
bars  ready  for  coining.  Some  facetious  wags  suggested 
the  propriety  of  attaching  a  mint  to  the  works  and  coin- 
ing the  gold  then  and  there  to  save  expense  of  transporta- 
tion to  Philadelphia  and  back.  The  process,  however, 
proved  a  dead  failure,  and  in  its  results  it  was  for  that 
time  and  place  a  miniature  South  Sea  bubble,  for  not 
only  did  capitalists,  who  generally  subscribed  to  promote 
the  enterprise,  lose  their  entire  investment,  but  many  a 
poor  fellow  lo.st  his  whole  summer's  wages,  besides  being 
in  debt  for  his  board  at  twelve  dollars  a  week.  Rigby 
and  Rodgers,  the  manager  and  projector,  were  enabled, 
through  the  handling  of  the  stockholders'  money,  to  make 
themselves  whole.  In  this  respect  they  were,  indeed,  both 
skillful  "managers." 

A  San  Francisco  company  started  another  crushing 
process,  at  the  head  of  Wood's  ravine,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  one  Colonel  Doan.  This,  also,  proved  a  failure  at 
first,  but  I  do  not  know  how  it  turned  out  in  the  end, 
though  for  the  early  history  of  quartz  mining  I  think  it 
was  really  a  good  plant.    Colonel  Doan  had  the  regard 


WOOD'S  RAVINE— MRS.   COATES.  179 

and  sympathy  of  all  who  knew  him.     Wood's  ravine  took 
a  good  start  at  the  beginning  of  the  quartz  excitement. 
Two  large  hotels,  or  boarding-houses,  were  built  there, 
one  by  Beauclerc,  James  and  Butch,  the  second  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Coates.    We  had  long  been  tired  of  boarding 
ourselves,  and  now  boarded  with  Coates  at  twelve  dollars 
a  week.   Coates  worked  at  mining  and  Mrs.  Coates  ran  the 
boarding-house.     He  had  been  very  successful  in  mining, 
and  had  made  considerable  money,  and  knew  how  to  keep 
it.    That  faculty  was  so  strong  in  him  that  it  developed 
into  very  disagreeable  penuriousness ;  besides,  he  was  the 
most  jealous  man  I  ever  saw.    No  person  could  speak  to 
his  wife  but  his  suspicions  were  aroused.    She  was  an 
active,  enterprising  and  industrious  woman,  and  popular 
for  her  kindness  of  heart  and  agreeable  manners  towards 
all     No  more  upright  and  honest  woman  ever  came  to 
California  than  Mrs.  Coates.     His  jealousy  was  simply 
the  outcome  of  constitutional  meanness.    Seeing  his  mis- 
erable disposition  towards  the  noble  woman,  some  of  the 
boys  mischievously  put  their  heads  together  to  keep  him 
constantly  in  hot  water.      He  had    occasion    to  go    to 
Sacramento,  and  for  a  change  and  rest  she  wanted  to  go 
with  him,  but  he  was  too  stingy  to  incur  the  increased 
expense,  but  took  her  over  to  Rock  Creek  to  visit  Mrs. 
Scott  while  he  was  gone.    The  boys  were  determined  to 
get  Mrs.  Coates  back  home  just  to  torment  her  disagree- 
able lord  and  master,  but  of  their  purpose  and  scheme 
Mrs.  Coates  was  perfectly  innocent.    They  had  a  little 
girl  and  boy  of  seven  and  five  years  old.    Johnny  was  a 
bright  little  fellow,  and  the  pet  of  his  mother  and  all  her 


180  LOST  AND  FOUND— NO  THANKS. 

friends.  Being  put  to  their  wits  ends  for  a  plausible 
excuse  for  sending  for  Mrs.  Coates,  they  finally  had  to 
resort  to  the  following  scheme!  There  was  an  old  quack 
doctor  in  the  place,  always  full  of  whiskey,  and  they 
bribed  him  to  give  the  boy  just  a  little  gentle  emetic,  and 
as  it  commenced  to  operate  they  started  a  man  off  with 
two  horses,  riding  one  and  leading  the  other  for  Mrs. 
Coates,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  she  was  back  again 
among  us.  Johnnie's  emetic  had  worked  to  a  charm,  and 
he  was  out  at  play.  She  was  greatly  relieved  to  find  the 
dear  boy  in  perfect  health.  Mrs.  Coates  remained  at 
home  until  her  husband's  return. 

The  other  house  ran  a  store  as  well,  and  James  used,to 
be  on  the  road  freighting  to  and  from  Sacramento.  He 
had  four  mule  teams,  and  getting  sick  hired  me  to  go  two 
trips  with  his  other  man.  The  first  trip  I  made,  as  we 
struck  the  Sacramento  flats,  a  man  passed  me  on  horseback 
under  full  gallop,  the  other  teamster  being  ahead  of  me 
an  hour's  distance.  Not  long  afterwards  I  discovered 
something  like  a  bit  of  red  ribbon  sticking  up  through  the 
sand,  apparently  about  five  inches  long.  I  stopped  the 
mules,  got  off,  and  to  my  great  surprise  found  it  to  be  a 
bag  of  gold  dust,  of  about  eight  pounds  in  weight.  I 
put  it  in  the  side  box  and  went  on.  Presently  I  saw  the 
same  man  that  had  passed  me  about  an  hour  before  com- 
ing back.  He  asked  the  driver  ahead  of  me  if  he  had 
picked  up  anything.  He  told  him  he  had  not,  and  of 
course  I  being  so  far  in  his  rear,  he  did  not  know  that  I  had. 
The  man  was  very  much  excited  as  he  confusedly  asked 
me  if  I  had  picked  up  anything?    I  asked  him  what  he 


where's  my  coat?  181 

had  lost?  He  began  to  cry  and  said  he  had  lost  every 
cent  he  was  worth.  "What  was  it?"  said  I.  "A  bag  of 
gold,  all  I  am  worth  in  the  world,  except  my  horse  and 
saddle,"  said  he.  I  went  to  the  side  box,  took  out  the 
bag  and  asked  him  if  that  was  it  ?  " 0  yes,"  said  he,  and 
seizing  hold  of  the  bag  of  gold  immediately  rode  off,  not 
even  so  much  as  thanking  me.  I  don't  know  whether  the 
fellow  was  too  ignorant  to  be  civil,  or  whether  it  was  be- 
cause he  was  so  excited  he  did  not  know  what  he  was 
doing;  I  judge  the  latter,  or  at  any  rate  I  am  willing  to 
give  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 

The  next  trip  I  made  with  a  little  loss  myself.  I  was  so 
ashamed  of  it  that  I  tried  to  keep  it  from  the  boys,  for 
they  were  always  running  me  about  my  carelessness. 
Upon  leaving  the  Quartzville  hotel,  I  stopped  at  Coates' 
to  take  on  a  box,  and  a  passenger  who  was  going  down 
with  me  on  his  way  home  to  the  states.  I  helped  him  on 
and  put  his  box  in  the  wagon  and  started,  not  stopping 
until  we  reached  Rough  and  Ready,  where  we  watered 
the  mules  and  went  in  to  water  ourselves.  I  was  humil- 
iated when  I  found  I  had  not  a  cent  to  pay  the  score  with. 
I  went  out  to  the  wagon,  but  my  coat  was  not  there, 
neither  did  I  have  the  slightest  idea  where  it  was.  The 
other  driver  had  money  enough  to  pay  the  bill  and  so  we 
went  on,  and  by  the  time  we  returned  to  Quartzville, 
which  was  some  eight  days  later,  I  had  forgotten  that 
I  had  lost  a  coat.  While  we  were  at  supper  some  person 
spoke  about  someone  having  lost  some  gold  and  that 
put  me  in  mind  of  my  coat.  I  then  inquired  of  the  land- 
lord if  anyone  had  seen  a  coat  I  wore  when  I  was  there 


182  CHIEF  COOK— SALARY  STILL  DUE. 

before.  They  all  declared  I  wore  it  away,  at  any  rate  no 
one  had  seen  it.  After  supper  I  went  up  to  Mrs.  Coates', 
and  as  no  one  had  seen  it  there  I  gave  it  up  as  lost,  but 
just  then  the  little,  girl  spoke  up  and  said  Johnnie  was  cut- 
ting the  buttons  off  acoat  he  found  in  the  road  }Testerday. 
We  took  a  light  and  went  into  the  little  boy's  room,  and 
sure  enough  there  was  my  coat  with  all  the  buttons  cut 
off.  I  put  my  hand  into  the  side  pocket  and  pulled  out  a 
purse  containing  about  three  hundred  dollars.  It  had 
lain  in  the  road,  and  men  and  teams  had  traveled  over  it 
for  eight  days,  when  Johnnie  Coates  picked  it  up  to  get  the 
buttons,  and  by  that  lucky  circumstance  my  money  was 
saved.  I  tried  to  keep  it  a  secret,  but  somehow  the  boys 
got  hold  of  it  and  there  was  no  end  of  the  chaffing  I  had 
to  submit  to. 

From  teamster  I  found  advancement  in  accepting  the 
position  of  chief  cook  at  the  Quartzville  hotel  where  I 
remained  some  four  months  at  a  salary  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars  a  month.  As  there  was  but  one 
cook  at  that  hotel  I  cannot  be  overstating  the  truth  when 
I  claim  that  I  was  chief.  If  possibly  I  am  in  error  touch- 
ing my  rank,  I  cannot  be  regarding  my  salary,  for  it  is 
indelibly  stamped  upon  my  memory  that-  Messrs.  Beau- 
clerc  &  Co.  never  paid  the  same,  nor  any  part  of  two 
hundred  dollars  money  loaned  them.  I  merely  mention 
this  trifle,  thinking  possibly  it  may  have  slipped  their 
memory  and  that  should  they  still  remain  this  side  of 
Jordan  and  be  reminded  thereof  by  reading  this  book, 
they  might  be  anxious  to  remit  to  me  by  draft.  I  shall 
be   generously  disposed  to  waive  the  matter  of  thirty 


NEVADA  CITY  IN  ASHES.  183 

years  interest  and  give  a  receipt  in  full  for  the  original 
sum. 

It  was  in  1851,  I  think,  when  one  morning  in  March 
we  set  out  for  the  city,  and  on  our  way  were  surprised 
to  see  burnt  pieces  of  calico  strewed  along  the  road,  and. 
even  burnt  shingles.  Arriving  at  Nevada  City  we  found 
the  whole  of  Main  street  in  ashes.  The  fire  had  broken 
out  in  Barker's  gambling  house,  and  spread  so  rapidly 
that  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  the  whole  street  was 
one  sheet  of  flame,  and  in  an  hour  it  was  in  ashes.  Three 
of  the  finest  buildings  of  the  city  were  on  this  street. 
Scott's  Empire,  one  of  the  most  costly  structures,  had 
been  opened  but  three  nights  when  it  was  swooped  up  by 
the  flames  in  an  hour.  The  very  next  day  by  ten  o'clock 
one  could  hardly  get  through  the  street  for  the  men  and 
teams  clearing  away,  unloading  lumber,  and  making 
ready  for  new  buildings,  and  in  a  few  weeks  a  stranger 
coming  to  the  city  would  hardly  know  there  had  been  a 
fire.  Such  were  the  enterprising  spirits  Nevada  City  was 
made  up  of  in  the  golden  days  of  '51 .  Moreover,  those  that 
did  not  suffer  by  the  fire  contributed  generously  to  those 
who  lost  their  all,  and  I  don't  know  of  a  single  instance 
where  a  man  had  lost  even  his  last  dollar  but  he  could 
obtain  credit  to  go  right  on  and  build  up  again.  So  we 
not  only  had  enterprise  in  Nevada  City,  but  generosity 
combined.  The  same  has  been  my  experience  in  whatever 
part  of  the  world  I  have  been.  Enterprise  and  liberality 
go  hand  in  hand. 

Considering  there  was  no  public  law  in  the  territory 
until  Nevada  City  was  nearly  two  years  old,  I  think  one 


184  THE  doctors'  sham  duel. 

would  have  to  travel  far  to  find  a  more  law-abiding 
people.  There  were  but  very  few  cases  tried  before  Judge 
Lynch,  only  three  cases  of  shooting,  and  those  poor  shots, 
only  one  man  being  killed,  and  only  one  case  under  the 
code  of  honor.  The  first  shooting  case  occurred  in  Bar- 
ker's gambling  house,  although  the  quarrel  had  been  else- 
where. The  affair  was  between  two  doctors,  rivals  for 
notoriety  if  not  practice  also,  whose  names  I  have  for- 
gottn.  As  they  met,  one  pulled  ou  t  a  pistol  and  told  the 
other  to  draw  He  threw  up  his  hands  and  said  he  was 
not  armed.  Whereupon,  the  first  pulled  out  another 
pistol  and  handed  it  to  him,  and  in  less  than  half  a  minute 
the  house  was  clear  of  people — all  that  could  get  out.  I 
was  one  of  the  unfortunate  that  could  not  get  out,  and 
took  refuge  behind  the  counter  and  a  fifty  gallon  beer 
barrel.  It  was  a  close  range  struggle— pop,  pop,  and 
then  a  suspension  for  a  few  seconds,  when  I  would  stick 
my  head  up  from  behind  the  barrel  to  see  if  it  was  all 
over;  then  it  would  be  pop,  pop,  and  down  would  go  my 
head  again  behind  the  friendly  beer  cask.  At  last  each 
had  discharged  his  five  shots  and  what  seemed  very 
remarkable,  neither  was  hurt.  After  it  was  all  over  they 
shook  hands  and  drank  together  at  the  bar.  The  whole 
affair  was  a  farce.  It  was  simply  a  case  of  two  mentally 
diseased  doctors  administering  to  each  other  bread  pills, 
instead  of  good  honest  lead  which  would  have  cured  both 
at  that  short  range.  The  crowd  only  had  been  frightened, 
and  as  for  myself,  I  never  had  any  love  for  powder  smoke 
under  such  circumstances,  especially  when  I  had  reason  to 
suppose  there  was  a  lead  ball  on  top  of  the  powder. 


THE  LAST  SHOOTING  CASE.  185 

The  next  shooting  case  was  that  of  Brown,  a  gambler, 
and  Smith,  a  miner,  which  occurred  in  the  Empire  gam- 
bling house  and  grew  out  of  a  political  dispute  involving 
the  abolition  question.  Smith  used  very  abusive  lan- 
guage which  Brown  put  up  with  for  a  long  time,  but  the 
more  he  forbore  the  more  abuse  Smith  seemed  disposed 
to  heap  upon  him.  Finally  he  told  Smith  to  go  away, 
whereupon  Smith  struck  him.  Smith  was  a  stalwart 
six-footer,  while  Brown  was  a  small  man  and  no  match 
for  him.  No  sooner  than  he  received  the  blow  he  drew  his 
pistol  and  fired,  the  ball  going  through  Smith's  lungs. 
He  fell  and  bled  profusely.  Of  course  the  cry  went  out 
that  a  gambler  had  shot  a  miner  and  ropes  were  im- 
mediately in  the  hands  of  the  multitude,  they  demanding 
that  the  wretch  be  hung,  though  not  yet  knowing  the 
circumstances.  The  cooler  ones,  however,  came  in  time 
to  get  Brown  out  of  the  way  of  the  excited  crowd,  called 
a  court  and  jury  and  tried  the  case,  the  hearing  of  evi- 
dence occupying  two  hours,  when  the  jury  returned  a 
verdict  of  self-defense,  and  Brown  was  discharged.  Smith 
had  a  pretty  loud  call,  but  by  virtue  of  a  strong  constitu- 
tion he  lived.  He  was  proved  to  be  the  aggressor,  and  the 
result  was  a  lesson  by  which  he  profited  by  improved 
manners  thereafter.  Brown  paid  his  doctor's  bill  and  all 
his  expense  while  he  was  laid  up.  Such  was  the  gambler's 
style  of  doing  things  in  the  early  days. 

The  last  case  of  shooting  happened  in  Kiota  street  the 
day  of  the  first  election.  A  man  called  Hayes,  said  to 
have  come  there  from  Cincinnati,  and  having  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  very  mean  and  quarrelsome  person, 


186  robbers'  punishment. 

had  a  quarrel  with  a  miner  that  morning  over  a  pile  of 
wash  dirt,  and  had  threatened  to  shoot  the  miner  the 
next  time  he  met  him.  His  character  was  so  well  known 
that  everyone  regarded  him  as  very  likely  to  keep  his 
promise  in  this  respect  if  in  no  other,  for  he  was  entirely 
destitute  of  principle,  and  no  little  anxiety  was  felt  for 
the  miner,  who  was  an  old  man  and  had  a  son  about 
eighteen.  When  the  son  heard  of  Hayes'  threat  against 
his  father,  he  walked  into  Bowers'  express  office,  bought 
one  of  Colt's  six-inch  revolvers,  loaded  it  without  saying 
a  word,  walked  up  Main  street,  and  when  he  turned  up 
Kiota  street  he  met  Hayes  and  shot  him  in  his  tracks. 
There  was,  of  course,  another  excitement,  but  it  only 
lasted  a  few  minutes,  for  as  soon  as  anyone  heard  that 
it  was  old  Hayes  that  was  killed,  that  was  enough ;  the 
universal  expression  was,  "Served  him  right."  The  boy 
had  a  trial  that  lasted  about  an  hour,  and  the  verdict  was, 
"justifiable  homicide." 

There  was  comparatively  little  thieving  in  and  about 
Nevada  City  for  so  many  people — perhaps  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  thousand — the  principal  case  being  that  of  a 
matter  of  three  thousand  dollars  stolen  from  Napper's 
bakery  shop.  After  a  little  his  clerk  was  suspected  and 
eventually  acknowledged  the  theft.  Two  other  youngmen 
had  planned  the  robbery  and  the  clerk  had  helped  to  carry 
it  out.  About  half  the  money  was  recovered  ;  the  balance 
had  been  spent  at  the  gambling  table.  The  three  were 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  receive  thirty-five  lashes  each. 
Mr.  Napper  paid  Butcher  Bill  five  hundred  dollars  for 
administering  the  punishment.    All  felt  the  justice  of  the 


LASHES  FOR  THE  CHILIAN  ROBBER.  187 

punishment,  but  everyone  looked  with  contempt  on  the 
man  that  would  whip  another  for  pay.  Had  he  volun- 
teered to  execute  the  law,  or  had  Mr.  Napper  himself  laid 
on  the  lashes,  it  would  have  been  deemed  the  proper  thing. 
From  that  moment  Butcher  Bill  dropped  to  the  lowest 
round  of  the  social  ladder,  even  to  that  of  the  thieves 
themselves. 

At  Rough  and  Ready  an  Indian  was  hung  for  the  killing 
of  a  young  man  who  was  out  looking  for  his  uncle's 
horses.  He  had  been  found  dead,  pierced  with  arrows  and 
mangled  with  a  tomahawk.  No  one  had  witnessed  it  or 
knew  the  murderer,  so  the  tribe  was  applied  to  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  guilty  Indian.  They  demurred  at  first,  but  were 
informed  that  if  they  did  not  comply  the  whole  tribe  would 
be  held  for  the  murder.  At  last  they  promised  to  do  so  as 
soon  as  they  could  find  him,  for  he  had  become  frightened 
and  had  hid  himself.  In  a  few  days  they  found  him,  brought 
him  in  and  surrendered  him.  Finding  proof  enough  among 
the  Indians  themselves  that  he  was  guilty,  hanging  was  next 
in  order.  Loveland,  Taft  and  myself  went  down  to  wit- 
ness the  execution.  The  tribe  did  not  arrive  with  the  cul- 
prit till  evening,  so  we  had  to  lay  over.  In  the  meantime, 
the  authorities  had  another  little  judgment  to  execute 
upon  a  Chilian  who  had  broken  into  a  store  and  had  been 
caught  in  the  act  and  had  been  adjudged  to  receive  a  cer- 
tain number  of  lashes.  As  there  was  now  territorial  law, 
the  culprit  was  in  the  care  of  the  constable  awaiting  exe- 
cution of  the  sentence — the  expense  of  which  would  be 
a  charge  upon  the  county— so,  as  a  matter  of  economy, 
while  waiting  for  the  murderer  to  be  brought  in,  they 


188  HANGING  THE  INDIAN  MURDERER. 

thought  it  advisable  to  administer  the  lashes  to  the 
Chilian  robber  and  save  the  county  the  expense.  The  con- 
stable wanted  to  make  his  fees  and  declined  to  give  up  the 
prisoner,  so  they  kicked  down  the  door  and  took  him  to  a 
tree  back  of  the  jail  and  tied  him.  A  doctor  was  present 
to  decide  how  much  the  culprit  could  endure.  A  man  was 
selected  from  the  crowd  to  wield  the  lash.  He  received 
twenty-five  stripes  when  the  doctor  ordered  a  stop. 
The  blows  occupied  about  one  minute.  As  he  was  untied 
he  fainted  and  fell;  the  doctor  revived  him  with  brandy 
and  water,  when  he  was  given  twelve  hours  to  leave  the 
district,  with  notice  that  if  he  returned  he  would  be  hung. 
The  Indians  arrived  in  town  about  dark  with  the  pris- 
oner, Indian  Dick  by  name,  or  as  he  was  called.  He  was 
well  known  in  the  town  as  a  bad  fellow,  and  it  was  proved 
that  he  had  enticed  the  young  man  out  under  the  pretense 
that  he  had  seen  the  horses.  What  he  killed  him  for,  per- 
haps was  not  very  clear,  but  most  likely  for  some  trifle  he 
had  that  the  redskin  fancied.  The  trial  began  in  the  even- 
ing and  lasted  till  morning.  Boyer,  the  Indian  agent,  was 
appointed  interpreter.  Verdict,  "guilty.' '  The  judge,  who 
had  been  up  all  night,  went  to  bed  as  soon  as  the  case  had 
been  submitted  to  the  jury.  The  prisoner  was  guarded  by 
the  murdered  man's  uncle,  a  six-foot  two-inch  man,  who 
stood  sentry  with  a  rifle  nearly  as  long  as  himself. 
When  the  verdict  was  brought  in,  the  judge  was  sent  for  to 
pronounce  sentence.  The  uncle  had  been  asked  to  go  for 
the  judge,  but  he  declined  to  leave  the  prisoner,  saying  his 
post  was  by  the  Indian  and  there  he  should  remain  as 
long  as  the  prisoner  lived,  which  was  not  much  longer. 


THE  NEVADA  DUEL.  189 

Soon  the  messenger  to  the  judge  returned  with  the  sentence 
in  writing  that  Indian  Dick  be  hanged  by  the  neck  until 
dead,  but  in  the  sleepy  condition  of  the  judge  he  omitted  to 
mention  any  time  or  place  of  execution.  But  such  a  little 
technical  or  informal  matter  was  of  the  least  consequence, 
for  the  crowd  soon  fixed  time  and  place.  The  time  was 
instanter,  the  place  the  first  tree.  The  convict  was  then 
brought  out,  a  dry  goods  box  was  placed  under  a  limb  of 
the  tree  with  a  barrel  on  it,  upon  which  Dick  was  placed 
with  his  hands  tied  and  his  eyes  blindfolded.  By  this  time 
someone  had  climbed  the  tree  and  fastened  the  rope.  The 
noose  was  adjusted  to  the  murderer's  neck,  and  the  next 
instant  the  barrel  was  knocked  out  and  Dick  was  kicking 
right  and  left,  for  they  had  forgotten  to  tie  his  legs.  Some 
twenty  Indians  were  witnesses  of  the  performance,  laugh- 
ing and  seeming  to  enjoy  it.  I  was  in  hopes  the  Indian 
would  attempt  to  escape,  as  I  wanted  to  see  the  old  uncle 
drop  him  with  that  long  rifle.  I  knew  it  would  have  done 
the  old  man's  heart  more  good  to  have  shot  him  than  to 
have  seen  him  hung.  As  soon  as  all  was  over  the  uncle 
turned  and  walked  out  of  town  without  speaking  a  word. 
And  now  I  will  say  right  here  that  I  would  never  witness 
the  like  again,  either  of  flogging  or  hanging,  for  idle  curi- 
osity. 

The  single  duel  with  which  Nevada  City  was  credited, 
as  early  as  the  spring  of  1852,  the  time  I  left,  was  between 
one  Jim  Lundy,  son  of  the  proprietor  of  Lundy's  Lane, 
famed  as  the  battle-field  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  Charles 
Dibble,  then  recently  an  officer  of  the  Pacific  mail  line  of 
steamers.    Jim  was  a  noted  duelist,  this  being,  it  was 


190  INHARMONIOUS  MUSICAL  ARTISTS. 

said,  his  seventh  duel.  Dibble  was  a  young  man  some- 
what addicted  to  drink,  and  having  been  discharged  from 
the  Pacific  mail  service,  he  came  to  Nevada  City,  where  he 
got  into  some  altercation  with  Lundy  and  challenged 
him.  Lundy  tried  every  means  to  prevent  the  meeting, 
but  to  no  avail.  He  was  a  dead  shot  and  no  coward. 
The  night  before  the  meeting  he  shot  the  wick  off  a  candle 
to  convince  Dibble  of  the  danger  he  was  liable  to,  but  to 
no  purpose.  The  meeting  came  off  and  Dibble  was  shot 
dead.  One  General  Morehead  acted  as  second  for  Dibble, 
but  the  name  of  Lundy 's  second  I  have  forgotten.  The 
authorities  took  the  matter  up,  arrested,  tried  and  fined 
the  surviving  principal  and  the  seconds. 

There  was,  in  fact,  another  duel  in  Nevada  City,  but  as 
it  was  irregular  and  wholly  outside  the  code  of  honor, 
through  the  conduct  of  the  seconds,  it  does  not  count  in 
the  record  of  dead  shooting.  Two  old  down-easters  from 
Maine  were  rival  musical  artists,  one  a  fiddler,  the  other  a 
vocalist,  and  both  were  slightly  addicted  to  drinking 
sprees,  and  when  in  the  spirit  they  could  not  harmonize. 
They  were  known  as  old  Went  worth  and  old  Dan.  On 
one  occasion  Dan  was  sawing  away  at  his  cat-gut  when 
Wentworth  considered  himself  entitled  to  the  floor  for  a 
song,  and  being  disturbed  thereby,  told  Dan  to  stop  that 
squealing  thing.  Dan  felt  insulted  and  demanded  to  know 
if  he  pretended  his  vocal  ability  to  be  equal  to  his  instru- 
mental skill.  Words  multiplied  words  till  their  passions 
were  thoroughly  aroused,  when  nothingcould  wipe  out  the 
mutual  insults  but  pistols  and  coffee,  or  rather,  whiskey. 
A  meeting  was  arranged ;  Hart  and  Hunter  were  seconds ; 


NEVADA  LADIES  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE.  191 

weapons,  pistols ;  time  and  place,  immediately,  in  rear  of 
the  Quartz  hotel.  Before  going,  Wentworth  proposed  to 
Dan  to  have  one  more  drink  together,  as  it  was  probably 
the  last  on  earth  to  one  or  the  other.  Dan  assented,  say- 
ing he  knew  very  well  which  one  was  taking  his  last 
drink.  The  principals  were  then  placed,  each  taking  his 
stand  as  coolly  as  he  ever  stepped  up  to  the  bar  for  a 
drink.  The  pistols  were  handed  them;  the  word  was 
given  and  both  fired.  Wentworth  fell  covered  with  blood. 
Dan  approached  and  looked  upon  his  bleeding  victim,  and 
in  maudlin  utterances,  said:  "Poor  f-feller,  he  wa'n't 
f-fit  to  die."  This  was  too  much  for  the  bleeding  and 
dying  man,  and  he  suddenly  revived  and  jumped  up  and 
demanded,  "Who  wa'n't  fit  to  die?"  He  would  let  him, 
Dan,  know  he  was  fit  to  die,  although  they  had  differed  in 
theology.  Upon  Dan's  discovery  that  his  antagonist  was 
not  dead  or  dying,  he  was  greatly  pleased ;  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  rejoiced  in  the  prospect  of  another  drink 
together.  The  fact  was,  the  sportive  boys  had  loaded  one 
pistol  with  powder  only,  and  the  other  with  a  cartridge  of 
currant  jelly— hence  the  blood 

After  the  emigration  of  1851  Nevada  City  was  graced 
by  the  presence  of  the  fair  sex  numerously,  who  lent  a 
charm  to  the  place  we  had  never  anticipated.  The  winter 
following  was  a  season  of  gayety,  no  end  of  balls  and 
social  parties.  In  fact,  the  increased  number  of  good 
families  of  wives  and  daughters  greatly  improved  the 
social  aspect  of  the  town.  The  theatre  greatly  improved 
and  became  a  popular  place  of  amusement  with  a  higher 
order  of  plays  and  actors.    It  was  no  longer  the  Nevada 


192  BULL-FIGHTING  UNPOPULAR. 

City  of  '49  and  '50.  Fire-works  were  displayed  both 
magnificent  and  expensive,  and  proved  remunerative  to 
the  promoters  of  such  entertainments,  although  the  price 
of  admittance  was  only  three  dollars,  barely  the  price  of 
three  pounds  of  flour  to  the  early  immigrant.  Three 
thousand  attended  the  first  night,  and  the  audience  did 
not  diminish  for  several  successive  nights.  The  old  Mex- 
ican bull-fighting  was  experimented  in,  but  was  not 
patronized  by  people  from  the  states,  who  found  no  pleas- 
ure in  cruelty  to  animals,  and  it  died  out,  though  great 
expense  had  been  incurred  in  building  a  large  amphitheatre. 
The  modes  of  fighting  are  various ;  sometimes  a  man  on 
foot,  sometimes  on  horseback,  and  sometimes  a  Mexican 
woman  will  exhibit  her  prowess  and  skill.  The  bull  is  let 
into  the  arena  after  having  been  starved  and  kept  in  a 
dark  pen  and  every  means  used  to  torment  him  to  get 
him  into  a  rage.  When  he  first  enters  the  arena  he  is 
allowed  to  stand  a  few  minutes  and  gaze  at  the  crowd, 
which  he  does,  but  they  being  of  course  out  of  his  reach,  he 
looks  around  as  if  in  search  of  something  to  vent  his  spite 
upon.  At  this  moment  his  antagonist  appears,  bearing  in 
one  hand  a  rosette,  in  the  other  a  red  shawl,  which  he  shakes 
at  him.  The  bull  at  once  makes  a  dash  at  the  shawl  and 
the  party  steps  aside,  and  as  the  bull  passes  he  hooks 
the  rosette  into  the  animal's  shoulder.  This  is  painful 
and  crazes  him  so  that  he  immediately  turns  for  another 
attack  upon  the  flaunted  red  cloth,  and  passing  again,  in 
like  manner  receives  another  rosette  in  the  opposite 
shoulder.  This  is  sometimes  repeated  until  the  animal  is 
fully  ornamented  with  rosettes,  when  the  bull  walks  off 


MEETING  WITH  COSTLER.  193 

to  one  side  to  rest  and  contemplate  the  state  of  affairs, 
and  the  person  also  retires  behind  a  screen  and  takes 
a  rest.  Then  he  appears  with  a  long  sabre  or  knife  and 
again  shakes  the  red  flag,  when  the  ferocity  of  the  animal 
is  increased  and  he  makes  another  plunge  at  his  assailant,' 
who,  after  playing  him  as  before,  finally  puts  the  sabre  to 
the  hilt  into  the  bull's  neck,  near  the  shoulder;  the 
blood  spurts,  and  the  poor  animal  walks  to  the  other  side 
of  the  ring,  staggers  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  falls  upon 
his  side  to  rise  no  more.  So  thoroughly  brutal  and  de- 
basing is  this  relic  of  Spanish  and  Mexican  barbarism, 
that  I  have  even  felt  a  regret  that  the  bull  did  not  survive 
the  ordeal  instead  of  the  man.  The  bear-baiting  and  bull- 
fight are  barbarous  entertainments  introduced  from  Mex- 
ico, and  are  alike  both  cruel  to  animals  and  debasing  to 
human  nature,  and  I  forbear  to  further  repeat  their 
details. 

While  attending  one  of  these  barbarous  Sunday  exhibi- 
tions, someone  tapped  me  on  the  shoulder.  I  turned 
to  see  who  it  was,  and  judge  of  my  surprise  to  find  it 
Martin  M.  Costler,  my  old  friend  and  companion,  who  had 
crossed  the  plains  with  John  See  and  myself.  I  never  was 
more  surprised  in  my  life,  especially  to  meet  him  at  a  bull- 
fight, and  that  too  on  Sunday,  for  he  was  a  very  religious 
man  when  he  left  the  states,  and,  in  fact,  while  crossing  the 
plains.  The  gladness  of  our  meeting  was  mutual.  The 
only  difficulty  we  ever  had  resulted  from  his  efforts  to 
correct  my  bad  French,  which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  some- 
times expressed  a  little  too  emphatically  when  things  went 
wrong.    Of  course  he  went  home  with  me  and  we  had  a 


194  YUBA  INDIANS  AS  CUSTOMERS. 

long  talk,  fought  over  again  all  our  battles  with  the  In- 
dians and  told  each  other  all  our  adventures  since  we  parted 
on  Feather  river  two  years  before.  He  had  been  back  to 
Long's  Bar  to  find  me,  hearing  that  See  had  gone  home ; 
and  not  getting  any  tidings  of  me,  concluded  I  had  gone 
with  him.  He  had  been  to  every  digging  in  the  country 
in  search  of  me.  When  we  parted,  two  years  before,  he 
went  to  Sacramento  to  work  at  his  trade.  Then  there 
came  a  rush  for  Redding's  Bluffs  and  he  went  up  there, 
and  then  to  some  other  place,  and  so  on  till  he  had  boxed 
the  compass  of  all  the  diggings  in  the  country,  just 
stoppingin  one  placelong  enough  to  make  sufficient  money 
to  carry  him  to  another.  So  it  was  with  thousands  that 
went  to  California,  first  and  last,  and  so  it  is  in  every  place, 
many  are  perpetually  on  the  move.  He  staid  with  us  a 
while,  got  work  at  his  trade  and  seemed  content,  that  is, 
for  him,  for  he  was  always  a  little  dissatisfied  with  the 
world.  He  was,  however,  a  very  good  fellow  and  liked 
by  all. 

The  Indians  around  Nevada  were  known  as  the  South 
Yuba  tribe,  and  generally  very  quiet.  The  only  murder  I 
heard  of  their  committing  was  the  one  already  related. 
They  were  rather  hard  at  driving  a  bargain.  If  they 
bought  anything  they  would  pull  out  a  little  parcel  of 
gold,  about  a  pennyweight  at  first;  tell  them  that  was 
not  enough,  they  would  pull  out  as  much  more,  which  still 
not  being  enough,  they  would  say,  "Got  no  more."  Put 
the  article  back  on  the  shelf,  they  would  produce  another 
parcel,  and  if  they  then  got  the  article,  they  would  stand 
around  till   they  saw  something  else  they  wanted,  and 


INDIANS  AS  GAMBLERS.  195 

then  they  would  repeat  the  same  higgling  process.  Only 
one  of  a  dozen  would  trade  at  a  time ;  the  others  would 
look  on,  and  if  one  got  the  same  article  a  little  cheaper,  or 
for  a  little  less  quantity  of  gold,  then  there  would  be  a  great 
fuss  to  get  the  balance  back.  Their  custom  was  hardly 
worth  having;  it  was  too  much  trouble  to  deal  with  them, 
the  trouble  of  waiting  on  them  being  in  excess  of  the  value 
of  their  trade.  Some  were  very  good  help  about  a  hotel 
or  a  boarding-house.  I  remember  Jim,  at  the  Quartz 
hotel,  a  smart,  gay  fellow  who  worked  there  four  months, 
got  himself  a  good  suit  of  clothes,  bought  a  cheap  Mex- 
ican pony,  saddle  and  bridle,  and  one  day  went  down  to 
Boyer's,  among  his  tribe,  to  see  his  wives,  as  he  said,  but 
it  was  more  to  show  his  clothes  and  other  evidences  of  his 
high  civilized  state,  and  to  gamble,  for  they  are  all  invet- 
erate gamblers.  About  twelve  o'clock,  the  next  night,  T 
heard  a  noise  at  the  back  door  as  of  someone  trying  to 
get  in,  and  went  and  opened  the  door.  There  stood  Jim 
without  a  stitch  of  clothes  on.  He  had  gambled  off  all- 
clothes,  horse  and  one  of  his  wives,  for  he  had  two.  The 
Indians  believe  in  a  plurality  of  wives,  but  two  is  generally 
the  limit  of  such  luxury,  their  financial  resources  not 
enabling  them  to  attain  unto  the  glories  of  Solomon. 

Their  mode  of  gambling  is  after  this  manner:  Each 
takes  a  given  number  of  sticks,  a  little  longer  than  a  com- 
mon match,  and  sitting  on  the  ground,  facing  each  other, 
one  takes  three  of  the  sticks  in  his  hand  and  commences 
to  go  through  a  variety  of  motions,  changing  the  sticks 
at  the  same  time,  the  other  watching  him.  After  awhile 
he  stops  and  the  other  guesses  which  hand  they  are  in. 


196  INDIAN  DANCES  AND  TOILET. 

If  he  guesses  right,  he  takes  one  of  his  opponent's  sticks 
over  to  his  pile ,  if  wrong,  he  puts  one  of  his  over  to  the 
other's  pile,  and  so  on  until  one  or  the  other  has  won  all 
his  opponent's  sticks.  That  ends  the  game.  The  stakes 
are  won  by  the  lucky  Indian,  who  gets  an  increase  of 
estate  and  often  an  extra  wife.  The}'  get  very  excited  in 
gambling  and  will  seldom  give  up  as  long  as  they  have 
anything  to  wager,  even  to  their  wives,  which  last  species 
of  Indian  property  they  affectionately  reserve  as  the  last 
thing  to  part  with.  Jim  had  got  cleaned  out  and  came 
back  satisfied.  We  got  him  an  old  suit  of  clothes  and  he 
went  to  work  as  if  he  had  lost  nothing,  at  least  to  all 
appearances,  though  no  one  can  tell  whether  an  Indian  is 
satisfied  or  not.  They  have  what  they  call  caroboreys,  or 
fandangoes— a  dance  and  a  feast ;  the  latter  is  a  kind  of 
soup  made  of  dried  acorns  pounded  to  a  flour  and  then 
stirred  in  cold  water.  When  prepared,  all  sit  around  and 
each  dips  his  forefinger  in  and  licks  off  the  soup.  The  one 
who  gets  the  most  dips  gets  the  most  soup.  It  pleases 
them  much  to  have  the  whites  join  them  in  their  finger- 
licking  feast.  The  dancing  is  exclusively  done  by  the  men, 
ladies  taking  no  part  therein  except  as  musicians.  They 
sit  off  a  little  distance  on  the  ground,  some  six  or  more 
composing  the  orchestra,  each  manipulating  a  sort  of 
tambourine  with  two  strings  across  it,  with  two  beads  on 
each  string,  which  they  beat  with  their  fingers,  at  the 
same  time  keeping  up  a  monotonous  and  dismal  sort  of 
song  that  makes  a  civilized  man's  flesh  creep.  The  gentle- 
men's ball-room  attire  consists  solely  of  a  strip  of  calico 
fastened  about  the  waist,  some  nine   or   ten  inches   in 


INDIAN   FUNERALS.  197 

length,  and  the  dancers,  usually  about  twenty  in  number, 
dance  in  a  circle.  Their  steps  and  movements  would 
not  be  considered  by  our  ladies  and  masters  of  our  danc- 
ing schools  as  very  graceful,  but  I  can  testify  that, 
although  they  were  barefooted,  yet  when  they  put  their 
foot  down  one  hears  it,  if  not  by  the  concussion,  by  the 
grunt  the  performer  gives ;  that  they  keep  excellent  time- 
that  is,  I  thought  so,  not  judging  by  the  music,  but  by  the 
vibration  of  the  ground  for  thirty  feet  around.  This  per- 
formance is  kept  up  for  about  half  an  hour,  when  the 
whole  party  become  thoroughly  exhausted  and  the  perspi- 
ration exudes  from  them  as  if  a  bucket  of  water  had  been 
dashed  over  them. 

I  never  assisted  at  one  of  their  funerals,  but  I  have  seen 
them  in  their  mourning  costume.  The  women  take  the 
most  conspicuous  part  in  inducting  the  deceased  into  the 
happy  hunting  ground.  After  the  burial  the  women 
gather  balsam  from  the  fir  tree  and  daub  their  hair  and 
face  with  it,  the  dirt,  of  course,  adhering,  for  they  never 
wash  themselves,  and  after  a  day  or  two  their  appear- 
ance is  verj'  repulsive.  I  never  looked  upon  one  of  those 
creatures  but  my  very  flesh  crawled  with  a  feeling  of  dis- 
gust. If  the  Oriental  philosophy  of  the  transmigration  of 
souls  is  correct,  I  pray  that  my  soul  may  animate  the 
body  of  bird  or  beast  rather  than  that  of  a  California 
Digger  Indian,  more  especially  one  of  the  female  branch. 


198  QUICKSILVER  CRADLING. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Improved  Methods— The  Cradle  — Quicksilver- -Long  Tom— Sluice 
Boxes— Hydraulic  Washing— News  from  Australia— Resolved 
to  Go  There— Settling  Up— Carried  Off  by  the  Gold  Fever- 
Sacramento— San  Francisco— Ship  "Don  Juan"— Steamer  "Win- 
field  Scott"  Arrives— Practical  Jokes— Careless  Shooting- 
Spurs  and  Shirt  Collar— On  Deck  of  the  "Don  Juan"— Adieu 
to  San  Francisco. 

THERE  had  been  great  advancement  in  the  method  of 
saving  gold  in  the  short  space  of  time,  about  two 
years,  that  I  was  in  the  country.  At  first  the  cradle  was 
used  altogether  for  washing  the  dirt  and  separating  the 
gold  therefrom,  and  quartz  crushing  was  then  unknown. 
The  first  improvement  was  in  using  quicksilver,  which 
required  a  different  cradle  from  that  primitive  one  which  I 
have  before  described.  The  quicksilver  cradle  was  fixed 
upon  rockers  similar  to  the  common  gold  cradle,  only  on  a 
larger  scale  and  having  a  long  drawer.  The  whole  length 
of  the  drawer  was  divided  into  six  or  eight  little  compart- 
ments, made  perfectly  tight  so  as  to  hold  quicksilver, 
which  is  the  most  difficult  to  hold  of  all  liquid  substances. 
The  screen  on  top  runs  the  whole  length  of  the  rocker, 
punched  with  holes  similar  to  the  hopper  of  the  early 
cradle.    The  quicksilver  is  placed  in  equal  portions  in  each 


THE  LONG  TOM.  199 

compartment  of  the  drawer,  when  the  rocker  is  put  in  a 
slow  rolling  motion,  the  dirt  having  been  put  in  at  the 
upper  end ;  a  gentle  but  steady  stream  is  kept  constantly 
running  in  at  the  top  where  the  dirt  is  put  in,  which  grad- 
ually washes  down  and  disappears  through  the  sheet  iron 
screen  and  falls  among  the  quicksilver,  to  which  the  gold 
adheres,  while  the  sand  runs  on  with  the  water — the 
coarser  matter  passing  off  over  the  screen.  This  process 
was  as  short-lived  as  it  was  impracticable,  except  where  the 
gold  was  in  loose  sand  and  as  fine  as  flour.  A  doctor  at 
Long's  Bar,  on  Feather  river,  had  a  new-fangled  machine 
made  of  zinc,  with  partitions  for  the  quicksilver  as  in  the 
above  described  rocker,  which  we  concluded  could  be 
worked  at  less  expense  than  the  former.  We  procured  a 
quantity  of  quicksilver  at  ten  dollars  a  pound  and  com- 
menced operations,  but  had  run  it  but  a  brief  time  when 
we  discovered  quicksilver  running  through  the  sand  and 
escaping.  We  stopped  to  look,  not  knowing  but  we  had 
discovered  a  quicksilver  mine,  and  little  thinking  that  ours 
had  eaten  a  hole  through  the  zinc  and  was  all  gone,  which 
proved  to  be  the  fact.  Neither  of  us  knew  it  would  eat 
zinc.  That  put  an  end  to  our  experiment  with  quicksilver, 
after  losing  ten  pounds  and  literally  spoiling  a  rocker  that 
had  cost  the  doctor  forty  dollars. 

The  next  process  that  came  into  use  was  the  long  torn 
which  I  have  heretofore  described.  It  was  equal  to  a  full 
day's  washing  for  two  men,  cleaning  up  in  the  evening 
with  about  a  tin  dishful  of  dirt  to  pan  off,  when  the  gold 
is  all  in  the  dish  ready  to  dry  and  blow  out  the  sand  and 
put  it  in  the  gold  bag.   Two  men  could  wash  in  a  long  torn 


200  SLUICING  AND  HYDRAULIC  PROCESSES. 

some  six  loads  of  dirt  in  a  day,  and  it  was  a  great  improve- 
ment over  the  old  rocker,  and  would  enable  men  to  work 
diggings  that  yielded  less  gold  to  the  load  of  dirt,  and  pay 
even  better  than  richer  dirt  by  the  old  cradle  process. 

Then  came  in  vogue  the  sluice-box,  which  I  have  also 
before  described.  A  long  series  of  boxes,  each  some  twelve 
feet  long  and  one  foot  high  and  wide,  fitted  into  each 
other  and  riffled  on  the  bottom.  Six  men  could  shovel  in 
all  day,  while  one  man  with  a  sluicing  fork  stirred  up  the 
dirt  to  keep  it  from  packing  and  forked  out  the  large 
stones,  and  another  at  the  end  of  the  series  of  boxes  shov- 
eled away  the  tailings  not  already  carried  away  by  the 
water.  This  was  deemed  an  improvement  over  the  torn. 
It  was  said  that  dirt  that  would  pay  one  cent  to  the  tin 
dishful  would  amount  to  half  an  ounce  a  day  under  this 
process. 

Afterwards  came  the  process  of  ground  sluicing,  for 
surface  dirt.  A  small  ditch  was  cut  on  the  side  hill,  just 
enough  to  make  a  course  for  the  water,  which,  as  it  ran 
down,  would  wash  the  ground  and  loosen  the  lumps  and 
the  men  would  remove  the  large  stone  with  their  shovels. 
No  one  would  believe  the  amount  of  ground  six  men  could 
wash  in  a  day  who  had  not  witnessed  it.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  dirt  that  was  a  good  strong  color  to  the  tin 
dishful  would  pay  one  ounce  a  da}'  per  man.  We  seldom 
cleaned  up  ground  sluices  oftener  than  once  a  week.  This 
was  done  by  uniting  the  various  sluices,  making  one  con- 
siderable stream,  and  placing  boxes  at  the  lower  end  to 
receive  the  entire  week's  wash,  which,  though  reasonably 
successful,  would  be  reduced    to  two  or  three    dishfuls, 


TYPHOID  SCOURGE  AND  DEATHS.  201 

thus  putting  the  week's  work  of  from  six  to  eight  men  into 
a  pretty  small  compass. 

Lastly  was  the  advent  of  hydraulic  washing  which 
required  great  force  of  water,  the  stronger  the  better, 
which  being  run  through  hose  they  would  commence  in 
the  face  of  a  hill,  sometimes  washing  away  the  whole  hill 
before  cleaning  up,  as  it  was  called.  Fortunes  have  been 
made  by  this  method  where  the  cradle  and  even  the  long 
torn  men  could  not  make  their  board.  Before  I  left  Nevada, 
early  in  1852,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  hydraulic  mining 
being  done  between  there  and  Rough  and  Ready,  so  that 
in  two  years  mining  had  made  great  advancement  since 
the  days  of  the  primitive  rocker. 

In  the  summer  of  1851  the  typhoid  fever  broke  out  in 
Nevada  City,  proving  fatal  to  many  people.  Dr.  Gardner, 
of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  was  himself  a  victim  of 
the  scourge.  He  was  from  Michigan  and  a  young  man, 
a  good  physician,  and  much  lamented  as  a  friend.  George 
Raj'mond  of  Hiram,  Portage  county,  Ohio,  also  died, 
besides  a  great  many  others  whom  I  personally  knew  but 
whose  names  I  can  not  at  this  moment  recall.  So  it  was 
in  '49;  you  know  him,  he  sickens  and  dies,  and  no  one 
knows  whence  he  came.  His  friends  never  get  tidings 
of  his  fate,  and  not  unlikely  an  aged  mother  is  looking 
for  his  return  even  unto  this  day,  still  clinging  to  the  hope 
that  her  boy,  her  youngest,  who  went  to  California  in  '49 
or  '50,  will  yet  return  to  gladden  her  heart  and  receive 
her  blessing.  Many  times  have  I  been  asked  about  an 
uncle — "My  mother's  brother,  who  went  to  California  in 
'49  and  we  never  heard  from  afterwards."    They  would 


202  NEWS  FROM  AUSTRALIA. 

tell  his  name  and  describe  his  looks,  although  the  party 
giving  the  description  was  not  born  when  the  uncle  left,  but 
they  had  heard  him  described  so  many  times  by  their 
mother  or  an  aged  grandmother  that  they  really  believed 
they  knew  how  he  looked.  And  the  mother  never  gives 
up  hope  until  she,  poor  soul,  knows  that  her  son  is  dead. 
It  was  customary  in  the  mining  regions  to  go  about  on 
Sundays  visiting  one's  neighbors,  or  to  town  to  see  the 
sights,  so  that  that  day  was  generally  the  most  stirring 
day  in  the  week.  Loveland  went  to  town  to  see  a  dentist, 
not  knowing  I  had  ever  pulled  a  tooth.  Taft  staid  at 
home,  while  I  went  to  see  Beauclerc,  who  was  a  great 
friend  of  ours.  He  told  me  he  had  just  received  a  letter 
from  an  uncle  of  his  in  Australia ;  that  gold  had  been  dis- 
covered there  by  a  man  from  California,  by  the  name  of 
Hargreaves,  that  was  liable  to  become  very  rich  diggings. 
I  thought  nothing  more  of  it  until  I  went  home.  Taft  was 
cooking  supper.  I  inquired  for  Loveland.  "Oh,"  said  he, 
"out  star-gazing."  I  went  out  and  found  him  standing  a 
little  distance  from  the  cabin,  his  face  turned  star  ward, 
though  I  don't  believe  he  was  conscious  of  a  star,  for  his 
mind  seemed  elsewhere.  I  asked  him  for  his  thoughts.  He 
said  Dr.  Livermore,  the  dentist,  who  was  formerly  from 
Sidney,  told  him  that  he  had  just  received  a  letter  from 
Australia  advising  him  that  gold  had  been  found  there  in 
quantity  and  richness  surpassing  anything  then  discovered 
in  California.  I  then  told  him  about  Beauclerc's  letter. 
"What  do  you  say  about  our  going?"  said  he.  "All 
right,"  said  I,  "if  you  will  go,  I  will."  At  that  moment 
Taft  called  us  to  supper,  and  when  we  went  in  we  told 


SETTLING  UP  AFFAIRS.  203 

Taft  that  we  were  going  to  Australia.  ''All  right,"  said 
he,  "if  you  go,  I  will  go  with  you."  We  had  not  yet  told 
him  of  the  news,  but  did  so  immediately.  We  then  talked 
over  the  whole  matter,  and  finally,  the  same  evening,  all 
three  of  us  started  off  to  see  Beauclerc.  We  found  him  as 
ourselves,  but  how  to  get  away  was  a  more  difficult 
question.  He  had  lately  got  married,  and  it  was  out  of 
the  question  to  take  his  wife  with  him  on  what  might, 
after  all,  be  but  a  wild  goose  chase.  We  left  him,  finally, 
with  our  own  minds  fully  made  up  to  go,  but  Beauclerc  was 
to  talk  the  matter  over  with  his  wife  and  determine  what  he 
would  do.  Taft  and  myself  had  Australia  on  the  brain  at 
fever  heat.  Loveland  did  not  say  much,  but  was,  like  the 
Irishman's  parrot,  thinking.  We  expected  him  to  talk 
soon,  and  so  he  did.  We  sent  Taft  down  to  San  Francisco 
to  see  about  a  ship.  There  was  no  more  work  to  be  done, 
for  we  suddenly  discovered  that  our  claim  was  worked 
out.  Taft  having  gone,  Loveland  and  I  went  about  set- 
tling up  our  affairs.  I  had  some  money  due  me  of  which  I 
collected  a  part  and  left  the  remainder  of  the  claim  with 
Hubbard  &  Hodge  to  collect  and  remit  to  my  father 
and  mother.  They  collected  it  promptly  and  paid  it  over 
to  the  person  holding  my  father's  order  therefor,  but  my 
father  never  received  but  forty  dollars  out  of  the  several 
hundred.  My  indignation  has  no  limit  when  I  contemplate 
the  meanness  of  a  man  who  will  cheat  or  rob  an  old 
father  of  money  sent  him  by  his  absent  son  to  make  his 
last  days  a  little  more  comfortable.  And  I  have  some- 
times thought  that  I  could  enjoy  great  exaltation  of  spirit 
if  I  could  be  absolutely  assured  of  a  hell— at  least  a  depart- 


204  THE  CABIN   DOOR  LOCKED. 

ment  in  Dante's  'Inferno'  of  about  the  temperature  of  a 
Turkish  bath,  fitted  up  expressly  as  the  permanent  resi- 
dence in  the  spirit  world  of  such  as  have  wronged  aged 
fathers  and  mothers.  I  have  withheld  the  faithless  man's 
name  as  I  would  avoid  afflicting  his  family  or  relations, 
but  hope  if  he  still  lives  and  these  few  lines  should  chance 
to  meet  his  eye,  he  may  be  conscious  of  the  great  wrong 
and  hereafter  do  work  meet  for  repentance. 

We  now  gathered  together  our  mining  tools  and  what 
provisions  and  bedding  we  did  not  take  with  us,  locked 
up  the  hut  and  went  into  town  and  stayed  the  first  night 
to  be  in  time  for  the  early  morning  stage  for  Sacramento,- 
leaving  the  key  of  the  hut  with  John  Proctor,  to  be  given 
to  the  first  Farmington  boy  that  should  come.  Proctor 
had  been  home  since  I  left  him  in  Marysville,  and  come 
back  again  to  Nevada,  and  had  gone  into  the  milk  business. 
The  fare  by  coach  to  Sacramento,  about  seventy-five 
miles,  was  sixteen  dollars.  All  kinds  of  fevers  are  more  or 
less  contagious,  but  I  know  of  none  that  equals  the  gold- 
fever.  It  is  fatal  even  among  old  acclimated  California 
miners,  hardly  less  than  the  Asiatic  cholera  in  eastern 
cities.  Loveland,  Taft  and  myself  were  the  first  victims  in 
Nevada  City,  but  it  spread  rapidly,  and  others  were  soon 
as  bad  as  ourselves.  Martin  Costler,  who  was  always 
ready  for  a  start  for  a  new  place,  was  ready  then  and 
there ;  Chester  Babbet  and  L.  0.  Hart,  from  New  York  state ; 
and  Henry  G.  Nichols,  from  Twinsburg,  Ohio.  George 
Scott,  of  the  Empire  gambling  house,  and  his  wife  took  the 
fever,  which  carried  them  off  "  between  two  days."  George 
was  one  of  the  most  forgiving  men  I  ever  knew.    He  said 


ARRIVE  AT  SACRAMENTO.  205 

he  freely  forgave  his  creditors  and  hoped  they  would  be 
equally  considerate  towards  him.  Beauclerc  had  now 
made  arrangements  with  Scott  and  wife  at  Rock  Creek  to 
keep  his  wife,  so  in  the  course  of  a  week  there  were  eleven 
in  all  ''carried  off,"  including  Loveland,  Taft  and  myself. 
We  arrived  in  Sacramento  the  same  day  we  left  Nevada 
City.  Sacramento,  even  at  that  early  day,  was  a  city  of 
some  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  handsomely  laid  out  in 
square  blocks,  the  streets  running  one  way  being  indicated 
by  numbers  and  the  other  way  by  letters.  The  buildings 
generally  were  of  rather  a  temporary  character,  although 
some  were  very  imposing  to  the  eye.  A  great  number  on 
the  back  streets  were  of  canvas.  The  city  was  situated 
near  the  junction  of  the  American  and  Sacramento  rivers. 
There  was  a  large  amount  of  business  transacted  there,  as 
it  was  the  principal  outlet  and  depot  to  all  the  mountain 
towns  and  gold  diggings.  I  met,  while  there,  a  man 
known  to  many  in  northern  Ohio— David  Brooks  of  Bris- 
tol, Trumbull  county.  He  was  in  the  auction  business. 
We  only  remained  here  long  enough  to  obtain  the  first 
steamer  for  San  Francisco,  where  we  arrived  early  the 
next  morning,  and  were  not  long  in  finding  Taft  who  had 
been  there  some  two  or  three  days.  He  informed  us  that 
there  were  two  ships  bound  for  Sidney,  one  the  barque 
Don  Juan,  the  other  the  ship  Constant,  but  that  neither 
would  sail  for  two  or  three  weeks.  This  was  a  great  dis- 
appointment, but  there  was  no  remedy— what  could  not 
be  cured  must  be  endured— so  we  took  up  our  quarters  at 
the  Commercial  hotel,  a  very  comfortable  house  on  the 
Pacific  wharf.    In  a  day  or  two  all  the  others  afflicted 


206  SAN   FRANCISCO  IN  '52. 

with  the  Australian  epidemic,  arrived.  While  waiting  for 
the  ship,  the  only  thing  we  could  do  was  to  go  about  the 
city  sight-seeing. 

San  Francisco  contained  at  that  time,  1852,  a  popula- 
tion of  about  fifteen  thousand.  It  had  been  twice  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire,  but  a  stranger  going  into  it  as  we 
-did  could  not  see  a  single  sign  of  the  destroying  element. 
At  least  one-half  of  the  city  was  built  on  piles,  and  under- 
neath houses  and  streets  the  tide  ebbed  and  flowed.  The 
two  principal  streets  leading  down  to  the  bay  were  Long 
and  Pacific,  and  Montgomery  was  the  principal  cross 
street  running  through  the  town.  There  were  already 
some  large  fire-proof  buildings  upon  the  latter  street, 
banking  houses  and  express  offices,  such  as  Adams  &  Co., 
Page,  Bacon  &  Co.;  in  fact,  Montgomery  was  to  San 
Francisco  what  Wall  street  is  to  New  York  or  Lombard 
street  is  to  London.  Gambling  palaces  were  plenty,  and 
of  humbler  or  lower  ones  there  was  no  end.  Long  wharf 
was  the  chief  quarters  of  high-toned  aristocratic  gambling. 
Cut-throat  and  land-shark  gamblers  were  largely  located 
on  Pacific  wharf,  and  many  poor  fools  were  there  daily  and 
nightly  fleeced,  in  fact,  robbed  of  their  money.  Served 
them  right,  I  say,  for  if  a  man  has  no  more  sense  than  to 
visit  such  places  and  allow  himself  to  be  duped  by  swin- 
dlers, he  is  not  fit  to  have  money.  Those  located  along 
Pacific  wharf  were  not  entitled  to  be  designated  as  gam- 
blers; they  were  simply  cut-throats  and  thieves. 

I  will  describe  a  game  I  witnessed  up  in  the  mines.  It 
was  easy  enough  for  me  to  detect  the  cheat,  although 
only  a  boy ;  yet  I  have  seen  plenty  of  full-grown  men  that 


THE  ABC  GAME.  207 

would  take  the  bait.  It  is  played  with  dice,  three  in  num- 
ber, and  is  called  the  ABC  game.  There  are  six  letters  on 
each  die,  and  sometimes  all  three  letters  turn  up  at  the 
same  time.  If  you  have  backed  that  letter  the  banker 
pays  you  three  times  the  amount  you  have  staked.  To 
carry  out  the  thieving  principle  the  banker  must  have 
two  accomplices.  The  banker  sits  at  the  middle  of  the 
table  and  throws  the  dice.  One  of  his  accomplices  stands 
at  a  corner  opposite,  the  second  at  the  corner  opposite 
the  nrzt  and  a  little  behind  the  banker.  After  the  banker 
has  thrown  the  dice,  the  accomplice  opposite  produces  a 
a  fifty  gold  piece  or  "slug"  and  wants  change.  The 
banker  takes  the  gold  piece  and  reaches  over  to  count  out 
the  money,  and  while  doing  so  accomplice  number  two 
pretends  to  lift  the  dice-box  unbeknown  to  the  banker, 
and  if,  perchance,  there  are  three  of  a  kind,  he  takes  good 
care  to  let  all  the  others  standing  around  see  it.  He  at 
once  puts  all  the  money  he  has  on  the  letter  that  was 
seen  under  the  dice-box,  when  his  example  is  followed  by 
one  or  more  dupes.  Then  the  banker  says,  ''Are  you  all 
down  ?  Bet  your  money,  gentlemen,  this  bank  pays  three 
to  one."  When  all  have  put  down  their  money  he  lifts  the 
box,  and  to  the  disappointment  of  the  dupes,  the  dice  have 
been  turned  and  not  a  letter  that  had  been  seen  before  is 
in  sight,  and  the  banker  pockets  their*  money.  If  they 
dare  say  a  word  in  protest  they  are  soon  silenced.  I  don't 
wish  to  be  understood  that  all  games  are  conducted  in  this 
manner,  or  that  this  style  of  gaming  is  necessarily  a 
swindle,  for  the  ABC  game  fairly  played  is  just  as  fair  as 
any,  though,  of  course,  like  all  games,  the  percentage  is 


208  HAPPY  VALLEY— VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 

largely  in  the  banker's  favor,  but  that  the  class  of  men 
who  run  this  game  were  almost  invariably  swindlers  and 
thieves.  There  were  houses  that  would  not  tolerate 
swindling  and  were  perfectly  honorable  in  their  dealings. 
Gambling  was  the  pastime  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and  there 
were  not  many  but  indulged  therein  to  some  extent,  as 
business  men  now  in  all  cities  resort  to  billiards  and  other 
games  for  temporary  recreation.  But  the  places  where 
practices  such  as  I  have  described  were  allowed,  were  dens 
of  thieves. 

Southwest  of  the  city  was  old  Wind-mill  hill,  and  directly 
back  was  a  chain  of  sand  hills  where  a  steam  "paddy" 
was  at  work,  which  loaded  a  truck  at  every  stroke.  The 
sand  was  run  down  and  filled  into  the  bay  ;  and  now  many 
acres  of  what  was  then  the  bay,  constitute  as  many  acres 
of  solid  land  covered  with  buildings  of  four,  five  and  six 
stories  in  height,  and  the  sand  removed  to  fill  up  the  bay 
cleared  away  the  great  sand  dunes,  adding  many  acres  of 
level  land  for  the  city's  extension  west,  thus  figuratively 
killing  two  birds  with  one  stone.  The  rural  surroundings 
of  San  Francisco  I  had  no  observation  of  at  that  time, 
though  the  Happ\r  Valley  was  supposed  to  be  as  charming 
even  then  as  the  famed  valley  of  Rasselas,  prince  of  Abys- 
sinia. It  is  some  three  miles  out  on  the  road  to  the  old 
Spanish  mission/  which  was  established  and  the  church 
erected  some  two  hundred  years  ago,  as  I  was  informed, 
but  cannot  speak  positively  of  my  own  knowledge,  as  it 
was  considerably  before  my  day. 

The  vigilance  committee  was  still  in  force,  but  at  the 
time  they  had  very  little  to  do.   A  short  time  before  our  ar- 


CONTRA   COSTA — CLAM  CHOWDER   AND  BEER.  209 

rival,  there  had  been  a  great  excitement  over  the  hanging  of 
Whi taker,  McKensie  and  Stuart.  All  three  were  convicts 
from  Van  Diemen's  Land.  The  two  first  named  were  taken 
from  jail  and  hanged  for  murder  and  robbery.  The  last 
named  was  caught  in  the  attempt  to  make  away  with  a 
small  iron  safe  he  had  managed  to  remove  from  some  office 
near  the  docks,  and  had  got  it  into  a  boat  and  was  rowing 
across  the  bay  when  he  was  caught,  though  not  before  he 
threw  the  safe  overboard.  He  was  brought  ashore  and 
marched  up  to  a  warehouse,  a  rope  was  adjusted  to  his 
neck,  and  he  was  run  up  on  the  pulley  by  which  goods  were 
hoisted.  Captain  Wakeman  superintended  the  brief  cere- 
monies. 

While  awaiting  our  ship's  sailing,  I  made  one  trip  across 
the  bay  to  Contra  Costa,  as  it  was  then  called,  a  distance 
of  some  ten  miles,  in  a  sail-boat,  and  went  out  into  the 
country  about  three  miles  blackberrying.  When  I  came 
back  to  the  town  of  about  a  dozen  houses  I  indulged  in  a 
dish  of  clam  chowder,  the  first  and  probably  the  last  I 
shall  ever  eat,  if  it  is  all  like  the  clam  chowder  of  Contra 
Costa,  which  impressed  upon  my  mind  as  lasting  memory 
of  the  place.  It  was  as  obnoxious  to  my  taste  as  the  first 
glass  of  beer  I  ever  drank.  One  hot  day  I  saw  people  step- 
ping up  to  the  bar  and  calling  for  a  glass  of  beer.  I  saw 
the  white  foam  and  it  looked  very  tempting,  and  so  I  called 
for  one.  I  had  only  tasted  it  when  I  would  willingly  have 
given  a  dollar  if  someone  had  stepped  up  and  drank  it  for 
me,  but  I  had  called  for  it  and  was  ashamed  to  leave  it, 
and  so  I  had  to  worry  it  down. 

At  that  time  there  were  two  lines  of  ocean  steamers, 


210  OCEAN  STEAMERS. 

the  Panama  and  the  Central  America.  While  I  was  there 
the  Wintield  Scott  came  in  on  her  first  trip — the  largest 
passenger  steamer  that  had  ever  come  around  the  Horn. 
When  Loveland  and  I  first  arrived  in  San  Francisco  and 
engaged  lodgings  in  the  hotel,  we  were  told  that  the  house 
wasfull,butif  wehad  no  objections  to  another  room-mate, 
they  could  accommodate  us — that  he  was  one  of  the  best 
of  fellows.  So  we  consented,  provided  the  stranger  would 
accept  us.  We  were  shown  up  and  found  that  our  roomer 
was  not  in,  so  we  washed  and  breakfasted  and  then  went 
out  about  the  city.  When  we  returned  we  went  to  our 
room.  We  found  it  full.  Upon  coming  in  our  future  mate 
introduced  himself,  and  the  rest  of  the  company  as  his 
friends.  He  appeared  to  be  very  much  of  a  gentleman,  and 
played  the  violin  like  Ole  Bull,  which  was  enough  to  make 
us  take  to  him  at  once.  His  name  was  James  H  ull,  second 
officer  of  the  Pacific  mail  steamer  Oregon,  which  was  then 
undergoing  repairs  at  Benecia.  The  others  were  officers 
of  other  steamers  then  in  port,  either  just  arrived  or  about 
to  leave.  One  was  Darius  Pollock,  a  rather  young  man 
to  hold  the  office  of  second  engineer,  I  thought,  especially 
when  I  listened  to  his  rattlingconversation,  and  I  remarked 
the  same  to  Hull,  who  told  me  I  would  change  my  mind 
when  I  knew  him  better,  and  particularly  if  I  should  once 
see  him  on  duty.  Hull  told  me  how  Pollock  came  by  his 
early  promotion.  He  wascomingup  from  Panama, Captain 
Knight,  the  head  man  of  the  Pacific  mail  line  of  steamers, 
being  on  board,  when  a  little  girl,  playing  on  the  hurricane 
deck,  fell  overboard,  the  steamer  being  under  full  way,  some 
ten  miles  an  hour.    Pollock  saw  the  child  fall,  and  in  an 


THE  YOUTHFUL  ENGINEER.  211 

instant  he  was  over  after  her,  striking  the  water  almost 
as  soon  as  she  did.  They  both  went  down  out  of  sight, 
and  those  on  board  who  witnessed  the  scene  thought 
they  would  rise  no  more,  so  long  were  they  under  water. 
Presently,  however,  he  appeared,  holding  up  the  little 
girl  with  one  hand  and  with  the  other  striking  out  for  the 
steamer.  It  was  stopped  as  soon  as  possible,  boats  were 
lowered,  and  they  were  both  picked  up  and  soon  safe  on 
board,  the  little  girl  only  the  worse  for  the  wetting.  Pol- 
lock immediateh'  went  down  into  the  engine  room  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  A  purse  was  soon  raised  by  the 
passengers  to  present  to  him  as  a  testimonial  of  their  grat- 
itude for  his  heroic  deed.  He  was  called  up  to  receive  the 
purse,  but  to  their  surprise  he  declined  it,  saying  he  had 
only  done  his  duty— that  it  was  the  duty  of  all  men  to 
save  a  life  when  they  had  the  opportunity.  Upon  that  Cap- 
tain Knight  stepped  forward  and  complimented  him  upon 
Tiaving  done  his  duty  so  nobly  and  so  well,  and  said  that 
he  also  had  a  duty  to  perform,  and  at  once,  then  and  there, 
publicly  promoted  him  to  the  position  of  second  engineer. 
Pollock  was  a  fearless  man  and  sometimes  a  little  reck- 
less, but  withal  a  good-hearted  fellow.  One  day  I  rode 
out  with  him  and  some  of  the  other  boys  to  Happy  Valley, 
and  on  our  return,  rather  late  in  the  evening,  Pollock  took 
a  notion  to  call  at  the  house  of  an  acquaintance  and  rouse 
him  out  of  bed.  The  door  being  locked,  he  commenced  to 
rattle  away  at  the  latch  to  awaken  his  friend.  Suddenly  a 
head  appeared  at  an  upper  window  and  demanded  to 
know  who  was  there.  He  did  not  answer,  but  rattled 
still  more  at  the  latch.     "Go  away,"  said  the  man  at  the 


212  SPURS  AND  A  SHIRT  COLLAR. 

window,  "or  I  will  shoot"— at  the  same  time  presenting  a 
pistol— one  of  Allen's  six-barrel  pepper-boxes,  as  they  were 
called,  good  for  shooting  around  corners — and  commenced 
to  pop  away  at  Pollock,  who  stood  all  the  while  with  one 
arm  akimbo,  saying,  "Look  out,  be  careful  with  that  d— d 
thing ;  you  might  hit  somebody ! ' '  His  voice  and  peculiarity 
of  expression  disclosed  who  he  was,  and  the  friend  came 
down,  unlocked  the  door  and  let  us  all  in.  The  affair  was 
considered  a  good  joke,  none  of  the  party  seeming  to  con- 
sider the  danger  of  such  careless  shooting. 

There  was  one  Frank  Beaubie  whom  we  met  in  'Frisco,, 
that  some  alive  and  still  sailing  on  the  lakes  may  remember 
as  commander  of  the  Canadian  steamer  London.  He  was 
first  mate  of  the  mail  steamer  Oregon.  I  afterwards 
met  a  cousin  of  his  in  Australia.  Beriecia  was  the  place 
up  the  bay  where  steamers  underwent  repairs,  conse- 
quently it  was  a  great  rendezvous  for  the  officers  and  crews 
when  laid  up.  A  party  of  us  went  up  there  one  day,  among 
whom  was  one  Charlie  Taylor.  In  the  course  of  the  even- 
ing Charlie  imbibed  so  freely  of  the  elixir  of  life  that  the 
boys  had  to  put  him  to  bed ;  but  before  leaving  him  they 
took  all  his  clothes,  even  to  his  shirt.  When  he  awoke  in 
the  morning,  he  found  his  clothes  gone.  The  others  were 
at  breakfast,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  sent  for  by 
Charlie.  Presently  there  was  a  commotion  on  the  stairs 
and  a  jingling  of  a  pair  of  Mexican  spurs,  and  the  waiters 
barring  his  way,  telling  him  he  could  not  come  down  in 
that  condition.  Looking  in  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
there  stood  Charlie  in  full  costume  of  nature,  decorated 
with  a  pair  of  Mexican  spurs  and  a  shirt  collar.    His 


THE    "DON  JUAN."  213 

clothes  were  brought  forth,  and  peace  was  restored  be- 
tween Charlie  and  the  waiters.  The  whole  three  weeks  we 
were  waiting  in  'Frisco,  our  room  was  full  of  cheerful  and 
friendly  persons,  which  was  agreat  benefit  to  us  who  were 
necessitated  to  kill  time,  being  always  ready  to  show  us 
every  civility  and  attention.  They  were  gentlemanly  in 
manners,  young  and  full  of  fun,  and  able  and  willing  to 
bear  their  proportion  of  expenses.  We  were  enabled  through 
them  to  see  and  know  more  of  the  city  than  otherwise  we 
could  have  seen  and  known,  as  they  knew  all  the  ropes, 
as  the  saying  is,  and  wrould  let  no  stranger  in  their  com- 
pany be  imposed  upon. 

The  time  was  drawing  near  for  our  departure,  and  we 
had  all  decided  to  take  the  Don  Juan,  a  barque  of  some 
three  hundred  tons  register.  She  had  been  laid  up  in  the 
bay  over  two  years,  having,  like  many  other  vessels  in  the 
early  days  of  the  gold  rush  to  California,  been  deserted  by 
the  whole  crew  and  never  been  able  to  put  to  sea  again. 
The  Don  Juan  had  been  purchased  by  Smith  &  Son,  and 
laid  on  for  the  Australian  passengef  trade.  The  fare  was 
$60.  The  captain  that  was  to  have  sailed  her  was  Tucker, 
but  upon  pulling  out  into  the  stream,  his  creditors  remem- 
bered him  with  such  depth  of  feeling  that,  like  Pharaoh, 
their  hearts  were  hardened,  and  they  wrould  not  "let  him 
go."  They  got  out  an  attachment  for  his  body,  and  the 
consequence  was  that  after  being  ready  to  sail,  our  barque 
had  no  captain.  After  some  delay,  Captain  John  Sears 
took  command.  He  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty- 
two  years,  every  way  competent  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bilities of  any  ship  that  ever  sailed  the  Pacific  ocean. 


214  MEETING  OHIO  BOYS. 

Before  leaving  Nevada  City,  we  had  had  letters  from 
home  telling  us  some  more  Farmington  boys  had  started 
for  California,  and  that  we  might  expect  them  on  the  ar- 
rival of  the  steamer  North  America.  Word  came  to  'Frisco 
that  the  steamer  had  been  wrecked  down  on  the  coast  off 
Acapulco,  and  the  sailing  ship  Northern  Light  was  sent 
down  there  to  bring  up  the  passengers.  We  had  been  on 
the  lookout  some  days,  hoping  to  see  the  boys  before  we 
sailed,  and  while  we  were  anchored  in  the  bay,  waiting  for 
our  new  captain,  the  Northern  Light  came  inside  the 
Golden  Gate,  passed  us  and  dropped  anchor.  This  put 
Loveland,  Taft  and  myself  into  great  excitement  to  seethe 
boys  from  home.  Upon  inquiry,  we  found  our  ship  would 
not  sail  till  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  that  we 
could  go  if  we  were  sure  to  be  aboard  again  by  that  time. 
So  we  got  a  boat  and  went  ashore  and,  to  make  sure  of 
our  return  in  time,  hired  the  boatman  to  stop  for  us  all  the 
while,  that  there  might  be  no  default  of  reaching  our  ship 
in  time.  We  had  not  gone  two  hundred  yards  up  the 
wharf  when  I  heard  a  voice  say,  "  There  is  Charlie  Fergu- 
son. I  know  him."  Sure  enough,  there  were  three  of  the 
boys  from  home,  schoolmates,  with  whom  I  had  played, 
swam  Grand  river,  and  changed  works  when  our 
fathers  had  set  us  some  little  task  to  do,  which  we 
thought  could  not  be  done  alone.  And  now,  here  on  Pa- 
cific wharf  in  California,  after  years  of  absence  and  wan- 
dering, I  met  Milo  Griffith,  one  of  those  boys,  and  all  my 
boyhood  recollections  were  revived.  I  was  delighted  to 
see  them  all,  and  our  feelings  were  mutual. 

They  had  been  shipwrecked  and  had  been  compelled  to 


ALL  ABOARD— REFLECTIONS.  215 

stay  in  Acapulco  until  their  money  was  all  gone,  and  had 
now  been  landed  here  with  neither  money  nor  friends,  as 
they  supposed,  until  they  unexpectedly  ran  across  us. 
They  had  two  others  with  them,  strangers  to  us,  who  were 
in  the  same  predicament  as  our  friends,  and  of  course  had 
to  be  provided  for,  as  an  old  California  miner  never  makes 
flesh  of  one  and  fish  of  another  when  the  necessities  of  life 
are  wanted.  We  gave  the  boys  enough  to  pay  their  ex- 
penses up  to  their  hut,  told  them  to  go  to  John  Proctor 
for  the  key,  take  possession,  and  if  they  liked  they  could  go 
into  our  claim  and  make  wages,  which,  since  my  return, 
they  have  told  me  they  did.  We,  of  course,  were  up  with 
them  all  night  until  about  three  o'clock,  when  we  parted 
from  them.  By  this  time  our  boatman  began  to  show 
signs  of  weariness,  and  so  we  entered  the  boat  and  pulled 
for  the  Don  Juan,  and  were  on  deck  a  few  minutes  before 
she  weighed  anchor.  Soon  we  were  outside  the  Golden 
Gate,  myself  little  thinking  that  thirty-one  years  would 
roll  around  before  I  should  again  set  foot  upon  American 
soil ;  that  before  my  return,  the  goddess  of  history  would 
multiply  her  pages  in  recording  the  rise  and  fall  of  empires, 
the  crumbling  of  thrones,  the  oscillation  of  France  and 
Spain  between  a  monarchy  and  a  republic,  the  unification 
of  Italy,  civil  war  in  the  United  States  and  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slave,the  Suez  canal,  Sedan  and  the  German 
empire,  the  rediscovery  of  the  sources  of  the  Nile,  the  Pa- 
cific railway,  the  electric  light  and  the  telephone — won- 
drous events  of  a  single  generation. 


216  GOLDEN  GATE  PASSED. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Pass  the  Golden  Gate  —  Bound  for  Australia  —  Seasickness  — 
Pumping— Passengers— Society  Islands— Deficiency  of  Supplies 
—Becalmed— Crossing  the  Line— Neptune's  Reception— Tahiti 
Experiences  and  Sports— The  Calaboose  —  Quack  Doctor— A 
Duel— Heir  to  a  Dukedom— Brother  of  an  Earl. 

HAVING  passed  the  Golden  Gate,  bound  for  Australia, 
I  turned  into  my  berth,  beginning  to  feel  a  little 
queer  about  the  stomach.  The  ship  seemed  at  one 
moment  rising  to  the  skies  and  that  my  stomach  was 
going  with  it,  while  it  was  struggling  to  escape  from  my 
frail  body  in  its  ascent ;  then  again,  after  reaching  the  top- 
most pinnacle,  came  the  descent,  seemingly  into  the  lowest 
depths  of  the  infernal  regions,  when  my  rebellious  stomach 
would  strike  out  on  an  excursion  of  its  own,  greatly  to 
the  misery  of  my  body  and  mind.  I  lay  for  a  time  unable 
to  raise  my  head,  but  at  last,  somewhere  between  another 
rise  and  fall  of  the  ship,  my  stomach  discharged  its  super- 
fluous cargo;  but  there  I  lay  still  perfectly  helpless  and 
only  conscious  that  at  every  plunge  of  the  ship  my  stom- 
ach, of  its  own  volition  and  upon  its  own  motion,  dis- 
charged copiously  its  contents — foul,  bitter  and  deathly. 
I  never  till  then  had  any  conception  of  the  vast  capacity 


SEASICKNESS   AND   PUMPING.  217 

of  the  human  stomach,  or  of  the  misery  of  sea-sickness. 
On  the  third  day  out,  peace  had  been  partially  restored  in 
my  late  rebellious  stomach,  and  I  crawled  out  on  deck  to 
see  what  was  going  on,  and  found  everything  there  at 
sixes  and  sevens.  The  barque  had  been  laid  up  for  over 
two  years,  was  dry,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  upon 
getting  out  to  sea,  she  leaked  at  every  pore.  The  pumps 
had  to  be  kept  in  motion  the  whole  time;  besides,  they 
were  obliged  to  erect  what  sailors  call  a  jury  pump,  at 
which  the  passengers  had  to  work  in  order  to  keep  the  old 
barque  afloat.  All  was  confusion  on.  deck,  some  of  the 
passengers  being  in  favor  of  putting  back  to  port.  The 
captain  told  them  she  would  soon  swell  up  and  be  all 
right,  which  seemed  to  quiet  them  for  awhile;  but  soon 
they  became  more  clamorous  than  ever,  and  demanded 
that  the  captain  put  her  about  for  port.  It  was  then  that 
the  captain  showed  what  kind  of  stuff  he  was  made  of. 
He  listened  and  heard  them  through  and  at  once  ordered 
every  man  of  them  forward,  informing  them  that  he  was 
sailing  that  vessel  and  needed  no  advice  from  them  and 
should  listen  to  none.  They  all  sneaked  forward  like  so 
many  sheep-dogs  caught  in  the  act. 

As  for  myself,  I  had  not  sufficiently  recovered  to  take  any 
interest  in  the  matter.  What  was  it  to  me  whether  she 
sank  or  not  ?  If  my  life  had  been  at  stake  on  the  tossing 
up  of  a  penny,  I  would  not  have  taken  interest  enough  to 
see  if  head  or  tail  was  up.  Such  is  seasickness,  or  such  it 
was  to  me  on  the  Don  Juan  until  we  touched  at  the  Society 
islands.  Among  the  American  portion  of  the  passengers 
-we  had  with  us,  besides  those  I  have  already  mentioned 


218  PASSENGERS  OF  THE   "DON  JUAN." 

that  left  Nevada  City,  was  John  Bodkin,  John  B.  Casserdy,. 
Cornelius  Redding,  all  from  Mucalomey  Hill  mines,  and  one 
Cartwright  and  wife,  or  rather  another  man's  wife  that  ♦ 
he  had  borrowed,  and,  like  the  Crow  Indians,  was  not 
going  to  bring  her  back.  There  were  also  a  few  English- 
men—one named  Lord,  who  boasted  of  royal  blood,  which 
is  characteristic  of  one  class  of  Mr.  Bull's  subjects,  and 
everybody  who  has  traveled  knows  to  which  class  they 
belong,  and  I  never  knew  anyone  who  wished  to  meet 
them  again;  and  more  especially  are  they  detested  by 
intelligent  and  sensible  Englishmen  themselves.  I  will  say 
right  here  that  some  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had  in  my 
life  were  Englishmen.  And  here  on  the  Don  Juan  were 
Harry  Taylor,  Elliot,  Warberton,  all  gentlemanly  young 
men  as  ever  one  would  like  to  meet.  There  wras  also  a 
young  man  from  Tasmania,  or  Van  Diemen's  Land,  as  it 
was  then  called ;  also  Mr.  Guy,  another  first-rate,  gentle- 
manly fellow.  With  a  few  exceptions,  the  names  of  which  I 
have  forgotten,  or  perhaps  never  knew,  the  remainder  of 
the  passengers  were  the  scum  of  creation.  All,  or  nearly 
all,  had  been  "old  residents" — convicts  of  Van  Diemen's 
Land— a  few  doubly  convicted  at  that.  They  had  escaped 
from  Van  Diemen's  Land  upon  the  gold  rush  to  California, 
but  were  now  going  back  to  the  Victoria  diggings  for  the 
reason  that  San  Francisco  was  too  hot  for  them.  Besides, 
they  were  wise  enough  not  to  disregard  the  polite  notice 
of  the  vigilance  committee  to  leave  the  coast.  Terrific 
were  the  threats  they  showered  down  upon  us,  our  country, 
California,  San  Francisco  and  the  vigilance  committee, 
but  welooked  upon  them  with  thecontempt  they  deserved, 


SHORT  SUPPLIES.  219 

yet  treated  them  civilly  as  human  beings,  which  is  only  a 
duty  and  costs  nothing. 

After  we  had  been  at  sea  some  seven  or  eight  days,  our 
old  tub  got  tightened  up  and  did  not  leak  so  much,  the 
passengers  began  to  have  more  faith  in  her,  and  all  or 
nearly  all  had  begun  to  get  over  the  seasickness  and  to 
look  about.  As  for  myself,  I  was  always  more  or  less 
qualmish,  and  my  greatest  trouble  now  was  to  find  a  place 
on  board  that  would  not  smell  of  tobacco  smoke,  which 
I  could  not  abide.  Though  I  had  taken  two  boxes  of  cigars 
aboard,  I  could  not  bear  the  smell  or  even  the  sight 
of  the  boxes.  I  would  go  and  crawl  into  the  captain's 
boat  and  lie  there  for  hours  to  get  out  of  the  way,  but 
as  sure  as  I  did  so,  just  so  sure  there  would  a  half  dozen 
or  more  assemble  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  all  smoking 
and  standing  where  the  smoke  was  sure  to  come  over  to 
me;  and  the  prayers  I  uttered  as  I  picked  up  my  sticks 
sounded  much  like  a  eulogy  addressed  to  Old  Nick. 

The  captain  coming  on  board  at  the  eleventh  hour  be- 
fore sailing  had  not  had  time  to  investigate  the  matter  of 
the  ship's  supply,  and  for  the  first  few  days  out  he  had  not 
time  to  do  so.  The  intention  was  to  sail  direct  to  Sidney, 
but  upon  looking  into  the  ship's  supplies  he  found  we  had 
not  provisions  enough  to  take  us  half  way  there.  Had 
he  known  this  at  first  he  would  have  steered  directly  to  the 
Sandwich  islands,  but  now  we  were  too  far  south  and 
would  have  to  make  back,  so  he  concluded  to  steer  for  the 
Society  islands,  in  latitude  18°  south,  longitude  150°. 
When  within  some  four  or  five  degrees  of  the  equator  we 
were  becalmed  for  three  or  four  days.    If  there  is  anv  one 


220  neptune's  reception. 

thing  more  than  another  that  will  try  one's  patience,  it  is 
being  on  board  a  ship  with  scanty  provisions  of  an  in- 
ferior quality,  under  the  equator  where  it  is  so  hot  that 
pitch  fries  out  of  the  cracks  of  the  decks,  and  the  majority 
of  the  company  are  Van  Diemen's  Land  convicts,  and 
then  to  cap  the  climax  to  be  becalmed  for  several  days. 
Job,  under  such  an  affliction,  would  have  been  strongly 
tempted,  for  once,  to  have  taken  the  advice  of  his  high- 
spirited  and  ' '  strong-minded"  wife.  Like  all  other  troubles, 
even  a  calm  in  tropical  seas  has  an  end.  Happily  there 
came  a  breeze,  but  oh,  what  a  little  one,  a  zephyr  of  small 
calibre,  the  breath  of  a  baby,  yet  what  a  relief,  what  a 
blessing!  The  sails  gathered  it  as  in  a  net  and  gradually 
swelled  in  seeming  gratitude  and  the  ship  actually  moved, 
three  or  four  knots  an  hour  barely,  but  it  was  better  than 
standing  still  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  So  we  were  now 
more  contented    and  took    our  course   for   the    Societv 

ml 

islands,  but  a  long  way  out  of  our  course. 

It  is  customary  among  sailors  of  all  ships,  or  all  that 
I  have  been  aboard  of,  to  celebrate  the  crossing  of  the 
equatorial  line.  The  sailors  of  the  Don  Juan  made  great 
preparations  for  the  event.  The  night  before  the  line  is 
crossed,  the  ship  is  hailed  with,  "Ship  ahoy!"  from  over 
the  bow.  Thecaptain  answers,  "Barque  Don  Juan  "  King 
Neptune  asks  if  he  has  any  of  his  children  aboard  that 
have  never  before  been  in  his  dominions?  Upon  being 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  King  Nep  tells  him  that 
he  will  be  aboard  the  next  day  at  twelve  o'clock,  with  his 
whole  retinue  and  royal  family,  to  receive  them  and  in- 
itiate them  as  subjects  of  his  kingdom.    During  the  next 


REACH  TAHITI.  221 

day  the  sailors  get  everything  ready  for  the  reception  of 
hisroyal  highness.  A  platform  is  built,  behind  which  is  hung 
up  a  large  water-tight  canvas,  made  secure  by  the  four 
corners  and  filled  with  water.  A  barber's  chair  is  placed 
upon  the  platform,  constructed  so  as  to  tip  completely 
over  back  upon  a  given  signal,  turning  the  occupant  back 
into  the  large  canvas  sea  of  salt  water,  when  two  sailors  im- 
mediately seize  the  victim  and  dip  and  splash  him  around 
until  he  is  greatly  exhausted  and  nearly  drowned.  At  the 
appointed  day  and  hour  his  majesty  and  retinue  came  on 
board  the  Don  Juan,  and  the  performance  opened  by  shav- 
ing those  that  had  never  crossed  the  line  before.  The  cap- 
tain warned  those  who  took  part  in  the  ceremonies  not 
to  interfere  with  those  that  did  not  wish  to  join  in  the 
sport.  This  caution  was  rather  a  damper  on  the  star 
actors  on  the  stage,  for  their  prime  object  was  to  get  hold 
of  such  of  the  crowd  as  were  considered  by  the  majority 
of  passengers  to  be  the  most  conceited  and  disagreeable, 
and  subject  them  to  the  shaving  process.  So,  on  the 
whole,  this  royal  reception  was  rather  a  tame  affair.  But 
I  afterwards  witnessed  one  of  Neptune's  receptions  on 
board  the  mail  steamer  Zealandria  that  was  really  amus- 
ing. The  arrival  on  board  the  night  previous  to  crossing 
was  equal  to  the  parade  of  Forepaugh's  circus  through 
a  city  before  performance,  and  the  next  day  it  was  equally 
as  ludicrous  as  any  Ethiopian  company. 

Neptune  barbering  being  over  on  the  Don  Juan,  and  the 
breeze  freshening  up  and  being  favorable,  which,  by  the 
way,  was  the  only  absolutely  favorable  wind  we  ever  got 
on  the  whole  voyage,  we  reached  Tahiti  in  about  ten 


222  TAHITI  AND  INHABITANTS. 

days.  Tahiti  was  then  a  little  bamboo  village,  situated 
in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  main  group  of  the  Society 
islands.  It  was  protected  by  a  coral  reef  with  a  very  nar- 
row entrance,  almost  too  narrow  to  be  safe  for  a  ship  to 
enter  in  rough  weather,  but  when  once  inside  it  afforded 
safe  protection  for  a  fleet  of  considerable  size.  There  were 
two  French  war  ships  there  when  we  arrived.  The  French 
government  had  lately  taken  possession  of  the  islands, 
and  it  was  then  under  martial  law.  The  whole  harbor 
was  surrounded  by  a  coral  reef.  The  mighty  works  of 
those  little  marine  insects  are  wonderful  to  contemplate. 
The  anchor  of  our  vessel  was  scarcely  dropped  before  it  was 
surrounded  by  canoes  of  the  natives,  they  begging  us 
to  throw  money  over  and  see  them  dive  for  it.  As  soon 
as  a  dime  was  thrown  into  the  water,  half  a  dozen  would 
be  over  after  it,  going  to  the  bottom  if  necessary.  Soon 
one  of  them  would  appear  holding  the  silver  coin  in  his 
fingers.  So  expert  were  they  in  the  watery  element  that  I 
never  knew  one  of  them  to  fail  of  catching  the  coin  before 
it  reached  the  bottom.  We  soon  went  ashore  and  were 
notified  by  the  authorities  that  we  were  only  allowed  to 
remain  on  shore  till  sundown,  when  we  must  return  to 
our  ship  until  sunrise  the  next  day,  and  that  we  would 
be  notified  to  go  by  the  firing  of  a  gun,  and  the  same  when 
we  would  be  permitted  to  come  on  shore  again.  Although 
I  was  there  six  days,  I  never  was  on  board  ship  but  once 
in  that  time,  and  that  was  to  get  more  money  to  go  back 
with. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town,  that  is,  the  foreign  portion, 
consisted  of  the  United  States  consul,  who  had  a  store 


ROAST  PIG  OF  TAHITI.  223 

and  dealt  with  the  natives  for  fruit,  and  sometimes  with  a 
whaler  or  other  ships  that  might  put  in  there.  There  was 
an  English  consul  and  one  or  two  other  Englishmen  who 
came  there  from  Sidney.  One  John  Bn^an  kept  the  "  Pat- 
ent Slip."  He  was  a  pretty  genial  sort  of  fellow,  also 
from  Sidney.  His  house  took  its  name  from  the  considera- 
tion of  a  place  he  had  to  slip  the  boys  into  when  the  gens 
d'armes  (French  police)  were  after  them  to  run  them  into 
the  calaboose,  a  place  they  were  sure  to  go  to  if  John  Cra 
peau  got  hold  of  them.  The  balance  of  the  people  con- 
sisted of  French  officers,  gens  d'armes,  a  class  of  men  we 
did  not  much  admire,  and  convicts  escaped  from  penal 
servitude.  I  had  not  been  on  shore  more  than  half  an 
hour  before  I  felt  that  all  my  sickness  had  left  me.  I  had 
not,  during  the  entire  voyage,  sat  at  a  table  to  eat  a  meal ; 
but  no  sooner  had  I  got  ashore  than  I  began  to  feel 
hungry.  John,  at  the  Patent  Slip,  supplied  our  wants 
with  both  victuals  and  drink  at  what  wethen  considered  a 
very  reasonable  price ;  besides,  he  was  very  civil  and  oblig- 
ing. After  getting  a  good  meal,  we  went  in  for  tropical 
fruit.  There  was  everything  we  ever  heard  of,  and  much 
more— oranges,  pine-apples,  bread-fruit,  and  other  kinds  too 
numerous  to  mention.  There  were  suckling  pigs,  cooked 
by  the  natives  as  no  other  people  can  cook  them.  I  have 
tried  French,  Italian,  English  and  American  roast  pig,  but 
no  pig  ever  surpassed  the  Tahiti  cookery. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival,  the  first  thing  was  to 
visit  the  calaboose  and  see  how  many  poor  victims  had 
found  lodgings  there.  They  were  not  discharged  till  eight 
o'clock,  so  we  were  compelled  to  wait  some  time.    At  last 


224  THE   PRISON  AND  POLICE. 

they  came  boiling  out,  over  sixty  in  number,  all  of  whom 
had  to  pay  two  dollars  to  be  released.  Of  course  they 
looked  rather  crestfallen,  for  none  of  them  liked  the  idea 
of  being  laughed  at,  as  they  expected  to  be  by  those  that 
had  been  more  fortunate.  There  were  four  or  five  of  our 
crowd  among  them,  and  they  got  it  rather  tough,  and 
some  of  them  swore  that  they  would  see  the  rest  of  us  in 
if  they  had  to  turn  gens  d'armes  themselves  to  do  it.  They 
did  not  have  to  wait  long  to  get  their  wish,  for  I  don't 
think  there  were  more  than  three  or  four  but  what  had  a 
night's  lodging  in  the  calaboose  of  Tahiti  while  our  vessel 
was  in  port.  The  second  night  I  had  a  run  and  narrow 
escape  myself.  Taft  and  I  were  together  waiting  for  the 
police  to  pass,  and  finally,  thinking  they  had  done  so,  went 
to  bed,  but  had  not  been  there  more  than  five  minutes 
before  they  suddenly  rushed  in  upon  us.  I  jumped  and 
rushed  through  the  bamboo  house,  the  officers  after  me  in 
hot  pursuit.  They  were  so  anxious  to  catch  me  that  they 
neglected  Taft  and  all  followed  me,  I  never  stopping  to 
put  on  my  clothes.  When  I  got  clear  into  the  orange 
grove  my  pursuers  were  far  behind,  but  in  running  I  lost 
my  way,  and  after  resting  for  awhile  undertook  to  find 
my  way  back,  but  the  more  I  tried  the  more  I  became 
bewildered,  and  wandered  about  for  a  full  hour.  My  feet 
were  bare  and  I  had  stubbed  and  bruised  them  until  I 
could  go  no  further,  and  sat  down  under  an  orange  tree. 
But  morning  was  soon  coming,  as  I  supposed,  and  it  would 
not  do  for  me  to  be  caught  in  that  plight.  It  seemed  to 
me  as  if  I  had  been  there  four  hours,  so  I  tore  up  my  shirt 
into  bandages  and  wrapped  them  around  my  feet  and 


JUMPING  THE  BAMBOO  FENCE.  225 

made  another  start,  this  time  with  better  success,  for  I 
had  not  traveled  long  before  I  found  the  Patent  Slip.  I 
forgot  to  mention  that  after  the  officers  had  once  been  their 
rounds,  there  was  no  further  trouble  for  the  night.  I 
knocked  at  the  door  and  heard  a  great  rustling  and  whis- 
pering inside,  then  all  was  quiet  and  John  came  to  the 
door  and  asked  who  was  there.  "It  is  I,"  I  answered, 
"all  right,  John."  I  heard  at  the  same  time  a  voice  from 
the  inside  say,  "  All  right,  it  is  Charlie."  John  opened  the 
door  and  in  I  walked  with  nothing  but  my  shirt  sleeves 
and  collar,  the  remainder  tied  around  my  feet.  I  told  my 
story,  and  John,  knowing  where  I  had  been,  took  me  back 
to  my  lodgings  where  Taft  was,  who  had  my  clothes  all 
right.  As  they  had  all  pursued  me,  Taft  had  remained 
undisturbed. 

The  next  time,  however,  I  was  not  so  fortunate,  but  I 
had  more  fun.  Three  "gendies  "  gave  me  chase.  I  lit  out, 
but  in  jumping  a  bamboo  fence  my  coat  caught  and  delayed 
me  some,  and  they  were  so  close  upon  me  that  I  was 
obliged  to  leave  my  garment,  as  did  Joseph  when  he  took 
leave  of  Mrs.  Potiphar.  Immediately  in  front  of  me  was 
a  pond  of  water,  and  into  it  I  jumped  and  the  officers  after 
me,  and  soon  I  had  all  three  of  them  on  me  at  once.  I  suc- 
ceeded somehow  in  ducking  all  three  in  the  struggle,  and 
before  they  could  regain  their  feet  I  got  out,  but  only  to 
meet  two  more.  In  trying  to  dodge  them  I  slipped  and 
fell,  and  then  the  five  were  on  meat  once.  I  took  the  mat- 
ter good-naturedly  and  tried  to  buy  them  off,  but  it  was 
of  no  use,  I  had  to  go,  and  go  I  did.  On  our  way  to  the 
lockup,  as  we  passed  a  house  I  heard  a  great  commotion, 


226  ANOTHER  QUACK  DOCTOR. 

and  the  gendies  were  flying  in  every  direction,  when  at  last 
I  saw  a  man  fall  to  the  ground,  and  in  a  moment  the 
officers  were  upon  him.  I  heard  him  exclaim,  "0  Lord, 
this  is  awful !  "  I  knew  who  it  was  and  roared  out  laugh- 
ing. That  made  him  mad,  and  he  spitefully  asked  what  in 
h — 1  I  found  to  laugh  at.  He  was  very  surly.  We  went 
to  the  lockup  and  found  about  a  dozen  others  already 
booked,  and  soon  there  were  some  twenty  or  more  guests 
for  the  night.  The  jailer  was  a  good-natured  Frenchman^ 
driving  a  good  trade  with  the  prisoners  and  running  a 
coffee  bar.  In  the  morning,  Costler  and  I  gave  the  jailer  a 
dollar  each  extra,  to  let  us  off  half  an  hour  earlier  than  the 
rest,  hoping  to  escape  observation.  He  let  us  out  at  the 
back  gate,  but  the  first  persons  we  met  on  getting  outside 
were  Beauclerc  and  Loveland,  who  were  on  the  lookout 
for  us.  We  told  them  we  had  been  inside  to  see  if  any  of 
the  boys  were  there.  But  that  story  did  not  pan  out  worth 
a  cent  with  them — they  knew  better.  We  both  gave  fic- 
titious names,  I  registering  as  Captain  John  Sears.  The 
captain  afterwards  told  me  that  some  of  the  boys  had  used 
his  name  and  he  wished  he  knew  who  it  was.  I  did  not 
tell  him  it  was  I  until  we  were  in  Sidney. 

Our  doctor,  an  Englishman  named  WTilson,  was  one  of 
the  most  conceited  old  quacks  I  ever  knew.  He  was  no 
more  of  a  doctor  than  I  was.  One  evening,  all  being  on 
board  the  vessel,  the  doctor  and  one  Lord,  another  English- 
man, got  into  a  row,  both  being  pretty  drunk.  Lord 
daimed  to  have  been  insulted,  and  unless  the  doctor  got 
down  on  his  knees  and  apologized,  he  must  meet  him  at 
fifteen  paces  the  next  morning.    The  doctor  stood  off  a 


HIGH  BORN  DUELISTS.  227 

little  distance,  and  in  response  merely  muttered,  "  Polly 
h— 1";  whereupon  Lord  struck  him,  saying  he  could  take 
that,  but  it  was  beneath  the  brother  of  an  earl  to  stoop 
so  low  as  to  meet  every  old  quack  that  turned  up  and 
fight  a  duel  with  him;  that  he,  Lord,  was  a  gentleman 
by  birth,  and  the  doctor  was  not.  The  doctor  was  now 
in  turn  as  greatly  insulted  as  Lord  had  been.  When  we 
went  ashore  again,  we  took  pains  to  get  both  of  them 
with  us,  determined  to  have  some  fun  before  the  matter 
ended.  The  doctor  had  an  interview  with  Beauclerc,  who 
of  course  told  him  that  no  gentleman  could  brook  such  an 
insult  as  he  had  received  from  Lord,  and  that  blood  alone 
could  wipe  out  the  stain  upon  his  character.  The  doctor 
asked  Beauclerc  to  act  as  his  friend.  A  challenge  was  car- 
ried to  Lord,  upon  reading  which  he  seemed  to  weaken. 
Beauclerc  told  him  he  must  meet  the  doctor  if  he  expected 
to  hold  up  his  head  in  society,  that  if  he  refused  he  would 
be  looked  upon  as  a  coward.  Lord  tried  to  get  out  of  it 
on  the  assumption  that  the  doctor  was  beneath  him  in  birth 
and  social  rank,  but  Beauclerc  soon  settled  that  by  telling 
him  that  the  doctor  was  heir  to  a  dukedom,  that  Wilson 
was  an  assumed  name,  that  he  was  only  traveling  incognito 
for  his  ease  and  comfort.  That  settled  it  with  Lord,  for 
he  thought  he  would  never  have  another  opportunity  that 
would  enable  him  to  say  that  he  had  met  a  duke  in  an 
affair  of  honor.  All  scruples  being  now  overcome,  the  next 
thing  was  to  find  a  "friend."  Lord  knew  that  was  amost 
difficult  matter,  as  he  had  not  one  on  the  ship.  Beauclerc 
referred  him  to  me,  telling  him  I  was  as  near  being  a  gen- 
tleman as  it  was  possible  for  an  American  to  be,  that  the 


228  THE  DUEL. 

President  of  the  United  States  was  my  uncle  on  my  mother's 
side,  and  that  all  my  ancestors  on  my  father's  side  claimed 
royal  blood  from  the  ancient  kings  of  Ireland.  Lord  did 
not  take  much  stock  in  that  kind  of  royalty,  but  he  knew 
Beauclerc  was  an  Irishman  with  a  French  name,  and  did 
not  like  to  offend  him,  and  so  he  applied  to  me.  Of  course, 
I  was  informed  of  the  arrangement.  He  showed  me  the 
challenge.  I  looked  grave  but  unconcerned,  as  though  it 
was  an  every  morning's  amusement  before  breakfast. 
Beauclerc  and  I  arranged  for  the  meeting  to  take  place  at 
two  p.  M.,  in  an  orange  grove,  the  affair  to  be  strictly  pri- 
vate, though  we  had  taken  care  that  at  least  some  twenty 
of  the  boys  should  know  of  it.  We  had  hard  work  to 
keep  up  the  courage  of  the  principals,  which  could  only  be 
done  by  steam,  which  we  found  rather  expensive,  as  both 
required  a  good  deal  of  fuel.  As  the  time  drew  near,  their 
courage  began  to  fail.  Lord  said  he  had  no  ill  feelings 
towards  the  doctor,  that  perhaps  he  had  been  a  little  hasty 
in  his  remarks.  The  doctor  told  his  second  that  he  thought 
the  affair  ought  to  be  settled,  that  being  the  ship's  doctor 
perhaps  he  ought  not  to  meet  Lord,  that  the  young  man 
appeared  to  be  very  much  of  a  gentleman,  that  in  his  ex- 
citement he  had  perhaps  overstepped  propriety.  Beauclerc 
got  alarmed,  and  sent  word  to  me  to  be  sure  and  keep 
Lord  out  of  the  way,  and  keep  up  his  steam  by  wood  and 
water  in  his  engine,  and  to  set  my  watch  half  an  hour 
ahead.  Arriving  on  the  grounds,  we  took  care  to  keep  the 
antagonists  a  respectable  distance  from  each  other  until 
the  arrangements  were  completed.  The  seconds  met  be- 
tween them  and  loaded  the  pistols  for  a  sham  fight.    I 


THE  CODE  OF  HONOR  SATISFIED.  229 

won  the  choice  of  ground — he  to  give  the  word — distance 
fifteen  paces.  There  was  considerable  delay  after  every- 
thing was  ready,  as  first  one  and  then  the  other  would 
want  to  know  through  his  second,  if  the  affair  could  not 
be  settled  without  blood.  Each  received  answer  that  the 
other  was  determined.  The  word  was  given — one,  two, 
three,  four,  five — they  to  fire  between  three  and  five.  At 
three,  both  pistols  were  discharged.  Both  Lord  and  the 
doctor  were  mutually  surprised,  and  rejoiced  that  each 
still  lived,  and  dropping  their  pistols,  they  rushed  to  each 
other's  embrace.  There  was  not  an  orange  tree  in  the 
grove  but  from  which  was  heard  a  roar  of  laughter.  The 
boys  had  each  climbed  a  tree,  to  keep  from  being  seen  and 
to  witness  the  tragedy.  The  doctor  began  to  see  the  drift 
things  had  taken  towards  them,  and  soon  retired.  Neither 
he  nor  Lord  showed  themselves  on  shore  again  while  we 
were  in  port.  Thus  ended  the  affair  of  honor  between  the 
heir  to  a  dukedom  of  England  and  a  lord,  the  brother  of 
an  earl. 


230  DEPARTURE  FROM  TAHITI. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Leave  Tahiti— Reduced  to  Beans— Prospect  of  Casting  Lots— Job's 
Comforter— Insanity  from  Hunger— Norfolk  Island— Captain 
Price  — Soldiers— Prisoners— Punishments— The  Clergyman- 
Hanging  Persons  "Comfortably"— Pigs  and  Poultry— Sidney, 
Australia— Arrive  at  Melbourne. 

THE  captain  was  now  determined  to  sail  on  the  fol- 
lowing day.  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  some 
provisions  which  he  had  to  pay  for  from  his  private  purse. 
We  did  not  care  if  the  ship  never  sailed.  The  day  after 
the  duel,  all  hands  were  ordered  on  board ;  therefore,  we 
had  to  go,  for  the  French  would  not  allow  any  further 
delay,  but  if  they  had,  I  think  half  of  the  passengers  would 
have  stayed.  We  got  off  the  next  day,  but  after  just  get- 
ting outside  the  coral  reefs,  we  w^ere  becalmed.  Some 
were  in  hopes  the  tide  would  run  us  on  the  reefs,  but  the 
wind  finally  sprung  up  in  the  night  and  in  the  morning 
we  were  out  of  sight  of  land.  We  had  head  winds  and  our 
ship  had  little  or  no  ballast,  consequently  we  were  beating 
about  and  drifting  with  the  ocean  currents,  making  little 
or  no  headway.  We  had  expected,  upon  leaving  Tahiti, 
to  arrive  in  Sidney  in  thirty  days,  but  that  time  had 
now  expired,  and  we  were  nowhere  near  our  journey's  end. 
Our  provisions  had    run  out,   and  I  don't    know  what 


DISTRESS  AND  ANXIETY.  231 

would  have  been  done  had  not  many  passengers  laid  in  a 
pretty  good  store  at  Tahiti ;  but  this  had  now  given  out 
as  well.  Things  kept  getting  worse  and  worse  until  we 
were  reduced  to  nothing  but  beans,  and  at  last  were 
reduced  to  thirty  pints  a  day  for  all,  without  a  scrap  of 
pork  to  grease  them  with.  There  were  some  pretty  sorry- 
looking  faces.  I  remember  one  young  fellow,  who  had 
heard  of  my  starvation  on  the  plains,  who  came  to  con- 
sult me  on  our  situation.  I  proved  to  be  one  of  Job's 
comforters  to  him.  I  told  him  that  it  was  nothing  as  yet, 
but  that  in  all  probability  we  would  have  to  cast  lots ;  that 
in  a  few  days  more,  probably,  some  would  lose  their  mind, 
and  then  they  could  easily  be  disposed  of;  that  the  food 
was  rather  repulsive  at  first,  but  one  soon  comes  to  like 
it,  and  that  it  was  excitable  persons  who  lost  their 
reason  first.  He  had  been  sent  to  me  by  Beauclerc  and 
others,  who  had  got  him  worked  up  to  a  state  of  frenzy 
before  sending  him  to  me. 

We  were  now  approaching  Norfolk  island,  longitude 
165°  west,  30°  south  latitude,  three  miles  wide  by  seven 
long.  It  was  used  by  the  Van  Diemen's  Land  government 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  worst  of  the  doubly  and 
trebly  convicted  convicts.  For  that  place  the  captain 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  make,  if  he  could  beat  up  against 
the  strong  head  winds  with  which  he  was  obliged  to  con- 
tend. We  spoke  the  transport  ship  Lady  Franklin,  ply- 
ing between  Hobarttown  and  the  island ;  told  the  captain 
the  condition  we  were  in,  but  he  paid  no  attention  only 
to  ask  why  we  did  not  put  into  Norfolk,  then  kept  on  his 
course,  leaving  us  to  starve  or  make  the  island  if  we  could, 


232  NORFOLK  ISLAND— CAPTAIN  PRICE. 

and  which  we  did  about  forty-eight  hours  after.  The 
captain  of  the  Lady  Franklin  never  reported  us  on  his  ar- 
rival. Upon  our  arrival  at  Norfolk  we  had  only  sixteen  pints 
of  beans  on  board,  every  morsel  of  eatables.  The  captain 
went  ashore  and  reported  to  the  commandant  of  the 
island,  Price  by  name ;  more  of  him  hereafter.  He  at  once 
sent  a  dressed  beef,  potatoes  and  plenty  of  bread  out  to  us, 
and  in  the  morning  sent  out  a  boat  with  an  order  for  the 
captain  to  allow  all  that  desired  to  come  on  shore.  One 
can  imagine  that  there  would  be  but  few  that  would 
not  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  for  it  was  some- 
thing we  had  not  reckoned  upon,  for  we  were  the  first 
passengers  that  were  allowed  on  shore  at  Norfolk  island. 
Soon  we  were  all  ashore,  for  the  commandant  had  sent 
a  large  barge  capable  of  carrying  half  the  passengers  at 
one  trip.  There  were  some  that  dare  not  land,  such  as 
had  escaped  from  Hobarttown  and  were  afraid  the  com- 
mandant would  know  them  and  detain  them,  which  he 
most  assuredly  would,  for  he  was  never  known  to  put  his 
old  eye  on  a  man  but  he  knew  him  again.  He  was  one- 
eyed. 

We  found  that  the  soldiers  in  the  barracks  had  prepared 
dinner  for  the  whole  military  force,  which  consisted  of  the 
Ninety-ninth  regiment.  They  had  been  there  nearly  three 
years,  and  our  arrival  was  as  much  of  a  treat  to  them  as  it 
was  a  happy  relief  to  us.  There  were,  at  that  time,  about 
nine  hundred  prisoners,  the  worst  lot  ever  congregated .  The 
mode  of  punishment  was  equal  to  the  subjects  thereof.  We 
were  allowed  the  full  run  of  the  place,  and  I  must  say  that 
never  before  nor  since  have  I  had  knowledge  of  such  severe 


HANGING   "COMFORTABLY."  233 

punishments.  It  was  enough  to  give  reality  to  the  words 
of  Burns,  "Man's  inhumanity  to  man  makes  countless 
thousands  mourn."  I  have  seen  men  exercising  for  two 
hours  with  sixty  pounds  of  iron  riveted  to  their  legs.  I 
have  been  in  the  "dumb  cell,"  where  there  was  not  a  ray 
of  light  nor  a  sound  was  even  allowed  to  reach  the  ear  of 
a  prisoner  from  the  time  he  was  put  in  until  the  time  he 
came  out ;  and  the  cell  was  arranged  so  the  prisoner  was 
liable  to  be  made  to  pump  for  his  life.  Tales  were  told 
by  soldiers  and  others  which  were  blood  curdling  in 
cruelty.  If  a  prisoner  was  caught  with  a  chew  of  tobacco, 
he  got  ten  days  in  the  dumb  cell.  If  accused  of  idleness, 
he  was  sent  there  and  made  to  pump  for  his  life  or  drown. 
These  facts  I  had  from  the  officers  of  the  regiment  and 
even  prison  officials.  A  man  was  hung  for  a  trifle,  and 
sometimes  three  or  four  in  a  morning.  A  story  was  told 
of  Price  and  the  clergyman.  One  morning  there  was  a 
larger  batch  than  usual  to  hang.  The  place  where  they 
usually  hung  them  was  on  a  beam  that  extended  across 
the  gateway.  There  were  seven  this  morning,  and  they 
thought  the  space  too  narrow  and  the  beam  too  short 
to  hang  them  all  at  once,  as  was  the  custom.  And  so  the 
clergyman  seemed  to  think  when  he  very  considerately 
and  feelingly  remarked  to  the  commandant  that  seven 
men  could  not  hang  "comfortably  "  there,  they  would  be 
too  crowded. 

The  officers  of  the  Ninety-ninth  regiment  were  very  gentle- 
manly and  civil,  and  seemed  pleased  with  our  visit.  They 
said  it  would  be  talked  of  as  long  as  they  remained  upon  the 
island,  for  the  like  had  never  before  happened  in  their  time 


234  GENEROSITY  OF  CAPTAIN  PRICE. 

and  might  never  again.  So  it  appears  that  even  a  regi- 
ment of  men  on  one  of  the  lonely  and  unsettled  islands  of 
the  Pacific  mav  feel  as  solitarv  as  Crusoe  on  Juan  Fer- 
nandez.  They  got  up  an  amateur  performance  in  our 
honor,  and  weall  joined  in,  that  is,  there  weresome  two  or 
three  of  our  ship's  company  who  were  good  musicians, 
and  that  was  a  department  they  were  deficient  in,  so  our 
talent  came  in  to  good  advantage.  We  remained  there 
some  five  or  six  days,  when  the  governor's  launch  took  us 
to  our  ship.  There  was  not  one  among  us  but  what  had 
something  in  the  way  of  provisions.  Some  had  a  dressed 
hog  on  the  shoulder  as  big  as  they  could  carry ;  another  with 
as  many  turkeys  as  he  could  swing  on  his  back ;  another 
with  half  a  dozen  ducks;  others  with  sweet  potatoes, 
turnips  and  gooseberries,  and  even  geese. 

Finally  we  were  safely  on  board  the  launch,  men,  women, 
pigs,  poultry  and  all,  and  after  giving  the  islanders  a 
good,  hearty  cheer,  we  were  shoved  off— men  and  women 
cheering,  pigs  squealing,  turkeys  gobbling,  ducks  quack- 
ing, roosters  crowing  and  geese  and  hens  cackling,  and  soon 
we  were  on  board  the  ship.  However  severe  the  discipline 
of  Commandant  Price  may  have  been  in  the  management 
of  a  penal  colony,  his  conduct  towards  and  treatment  of 
us  was  that  of  a  generous  and  considerate  man,  while 
that  of  the  captain  of  the  Lady  Franklin  was  that  of  an 
unfeeling  savage.  Price  afterwards  reported  him  to  the 
government  of  Van  Diemen's  Land  for  not  giving  us  sup- 
plies. His  excuse  was  that  the  weather  was  too  rough  to 
lower  a  boat.  He  was  tried  and  dismissed,  as  I  was 
informed.    We  sailed  from  Norfolk  island  better  supplied 


AUSTRALIA  IN  SIGHT.  235 

than  when  we  left  San  Francisco.    The  captain  had  not 
only  put  on  board  enough  to  last  us  the  remainder  of  the 
journey,  but  the  passengers  had  made  doubly  sure.    Un- 
favorable winds  still  prevailed,  being  strong  ahead,  and 
for  twenty-four  hours  we  were  obliged  to   lay  to  in  a 
storm,  an  unusual  circumstance  on  that  passage.    Then 
the  wind  changed  to  a  good  stiff  breeze  in  our  favor,  and 
we  made  more  headway  in  forty-eight  hours  than  we  had 
for  the  last  ten  da\^s.    At  last,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  July, 
1852,  the  sunny  shores  of  Australia  hove  in  sight,  and 
great  was  the  rejoicing  on  board  that  little  barque,  and  all 
our  troubles  were  forgotten.    It  is  strange,  but  neverthe- 
less true,  that  the  feeling  one  is  suddenly  inspired  with 
when  nearing  land,  opens  his  mind  and  heart  to  generous 
thoughts  and  sentiments  towards  all  things  and  every 
person,  and  he  finds  himself  conversing  freely  with  those 
whom,  perhaps,  he  has  not  spoken  to  during  the  whole  voy- 
age. The  wind  was  fair  and  we  were  fast  bearing  do  wn  upon 
the  great  island  continent.     Sidney  heads  were  fast  loom- 
ing up  in  the  distance.    Soon  a  pilot  boat  was  seen  sailing 
towards  us,  and  it  was  not  long  before  that  important 
official  personage  was  received  on  board,  and  the  control 
of  the  ship  passed  into  his  hands.    As  we  neared  the  shore 
our  minds  became  anxious  concerning  the  gold  fields  and 
the  prospects,  and  many  were  the  inquiries  made  of  the 
pilot,  and  great  was  our  joy  to  learn  that  it  was  with  us 
as  it  had  been  of  old  when  the  queen  of  Sheba  came  to  the 
court  of  Solomon  after  his  ships  had  returned  from  the 
Orient  laden  with  the  gold  of  Ophir — the  half  had  not  been 
told. 


236  PORT  JACKSON— COLT'S  REVOLVERS. 

The  pilot  only  entered  the  Heads  that  night  and  cast 
anchor.  When  the  morning  sun  rose,  it  disclosed  the  most 
beautiful  harbor  on  earth.  Port  Jackson  is  a  bay  some 
seven  miles  long  with  numerous  little  inlets  or  bays,  into 
which  empties  the  Paramata  river,  and  the  whole  is 
surrounded  by  a  landscape  as  picturesque  as  eye  ever 
beheld.  I  regret  that  my  pen  is  incompetent  to  do  justice 
to  the  subject,  in  a  description  of  that  scenery.  Port  Jack- 
son has  often  been  vividly  described  by  travelers,  but  the 
picture  has  never  been  overdrawn.  Upon  arriving  at  the 
circular  quay  we  dropped  anchor  and  were  immediately 
boarded  by  some  twenty  or  more  persons,  all  in  quest  of 
Colt's  revolvers.  A  five-inch  would  readily  sell  for  thirty 
pounds  (one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars);  other  sizes  and 
qualities  upward  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The 
captain  had  brought  a  dozen,  which  he  sold  for  the  above 
prices.  We  had  none  but  those  we  had  brought  for  our 
own  use.  We  landed  and  went  through  the  custom-house, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  then  a  mere  matter  of  form.  We 
hired  a  conveyance  to  take  us  to  a  hotel,  but  that  was 
easier  said  than  done,  for  I  think  the  driver  drove  us  to  at 
least  a  dozen  hotels  before  we  were  able  to  get  accommo- 
dations. At  last  we  found  one  upon  what  was  called  the 
Rocks.  It  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  "  Rocks  of 
Cashel."  It  was  kept  by  a  man  and  his  wife  of  the  name 
of  Casey.  Sidney,  at  this  time,  was  almost  deserted  by 
the  male  portion  of  its  inhabitants.  I  don't  know  a  city 
where  a  stranger  met  with  more  hospitality,  or  even  as 
much,  as  in  Sidney,  and  it  is  so  to  this  day.  At  that 
time  the  population  was  about  from  fifteen  to  twenty 


THE  BANQUET— M  THE  BLOODY  DUCK."  237 

thousand.  It  has  since  increased  to  about  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  thousand.  At  that  time  it  was  much 
the  largest  city  in  the  Australian  colonies,  Melbourne 
being  the  only  one  then,  or  even  now,  that  would  any- 
where begin  to  compete  with  it.  The  worst  feature  in  it 
was  in  the  careless,  or  rather  slovenly  manner  in  which  it 
was  laid  out.  Speak  to  any  one  of  the  old  inhabitants 
about  it  and  they  would  say  that  no  one  thought  it 
would  ever  become  the  wonderful  town  that  it  was  then; 
that  it  was  built  along  as  the  bullock  and  dray  tracts 
then  ran,  that  is,  the  old  portion  of  the  town ;  the  modern 
portion  is  better  laid  out.  The  surface  of  the  city  is  rather 
of  an  uneven  nature,  and  that  accounts  for  the  cart  tracks 
running  in  such  an  uncommonly  crooked  course. 

While  we  were  there,  the  first  steamer  arrived  from  En- 
gland to  run  the  overland  mail  by  way  of  Singapore.  The 
Shusan,  which  was  the  name  of  the  steamer,  would  now 
be  considered  about  third  or  fourth  class,  but  the  colonists 
were  very  proud  of  her.  The  citizens  of  Sidney  gave  the 
officers  of  the  ship  a  great  banquet.  The  mayor  presided 
and  attempted  to  make  a  complimentary  speech.  Alluding 
to  the  wonderful  steamer,  the  first  that  ever  lay  at  anchor 
in  their  fine  harbor,  he  sought  to  embellish  his  sentiments 
by  quoting  the  lines  of  the  poet,  where  he  describes  a  ship 
as  " floating  the  waters  as  a  thing  of  life."  He  got  as  far 
as  "  floats  the  water,"  but  forgot  the  comparison,  hesi^ 
tated,  made  another  attempt,  but  with  no  better  success, 
then  a  third,  but  still  the  "thing  of  life"  could  not  find 
utterance,  when  his  worship  lost  his  temper  and  broke 
out    with,    "floating   the    waters  like — a  bloody  duck.,r 


238  REACH  MELBOURNE. 

How  true  the  story  was  I  cannot  say,  but  the  mayor 
was  ever  afterwards  credited  with  that  improvement  on 
the  world's  great  poet. 

Here  I  spent  about  ten  days  as  agreeably,  I  think,  as  any  I 
ever  spent  in  a  strange  city  in  my  life.  The  Shusan  was  about 
to  sail  and  we  bought  our  tickets  upon  her  for  Melbourne, 
and  were  six  days  making  the  trip,  about  seven  hundred 
miles.  Melbourne  is  at  the  head  of  Port  Phillips  bay, 
three  miles  up  the  Yara  river,  then  not  navigable  for  large 
ocean  steamers,  and  forty-three  miles  up  the  bay  from 
the  Heads.  Soon  after  passing  the  Heads  was  a  small 
town  called  Queen's  Cliff,  on  the  south  side  of  the  bay. 
It  was  then  small,  but  has  since  become  quite  an  impor- 
tant place.  The  government  afterwards  built  large  and 
important  fortifications  there.  We  found  the  steamer 
Australia  had  just  that  morning  arrived  from  England 
to  participate  in  the  mail  service  in  connection  with  the 
Shusan.  This  was  considered  a  great  boom  for  the  col- 
onies, a  monthly  mail.  Now  they  have  no  less  than  four 
a  month,  and  the  delivery  in  less  than  half  the  time  it 
then  took.  We  landed  at  what  was  then  called  Lahard's 
Beach,  now  Landing.  A  small  pier  then  ran  out  some  fifty 
yards  into  the  bay,  while  now  there  is  a  long  pier  extend- 
ing out  nearly  half  a  mile,  where  the  largest  ocean 
steamers  can  lie  alongside  and  discharge  their  cargoes 
directly  into  railway  cars  for  Melbourne  or  any  part  of 
the  colonies.  Then  everything  had  to  be  transported  on 
lighters,  and  from  thence  taken  up  the  Yara  river,  then 
by  bullock  drays  to  the  diggings  and  other  stations  in 
the   interior,    often    taking    two    and   sometimes   three 


LANDING  AND  PERPLEXITIES.  239 

months  to  make  the  journey  of  a  hundred  miles,  through 
dense  forests  and  over  rough  roads. 

It  was  Sunday  when  we  landed,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  hire  a  horse  and  cart  to  take  our  blankets  and  traps 
up  to  Melbourne,  a  distance  of  three  miles,  paying  ten 
shillings  or  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  each  for  ten  of  us. 
The  road  was  flooded  in  some  places  belly  deep  to  the 
horse.  When  we  got  into  the  deepest  of  the  water  and 
mud,  the  horse  suddenly  bogged  and  went  down.  We  all 
had  to  get  off  the  dray,  help  the  horse  up,  and  then  lift 
at  the  wheel  and  help  him  out.  There  were  not  more  than 
two  or  three  houses  on  the  whole  distance  between  Sand- 
ridge  and  Melbourne  and  but  one  of  ordinary  size  between 
Melbourne  and  Lahard's  hotel,  where  now  is  a  city  of  several 
thousand,  called  Emerald  Hill.  We  arrived  in  Melbourne 
just  at  dark,  part  of  us  stopping  at  the  Old  Rain-Bow 
hotel,  the  others  on  Elizabeth  street  at  what  is  now  the 
Exchange,  kept  for  many  years  by  one  Cooper.  The  Old 
Rain-Bow  was  then  noted,  and  for  years  after,  for  its 
ale— Gordon's  ale.  All  the  old  colonists  will  remember 
it.  WTe  had  to  pay  for  our  supper  before  going  into  the 
dining-room,  likewise  for  our  bed  before  we  went  to  bed, 
one  dollar  each.  In  the  morning  we  looked  around 
through  the  town.  The  streets  were  nearly  hub  deep 
with  mud  all  through  the  city,  except  a  part  of  Collins 
street  and  a  part  of  one  other  that  was  macadamized. 
It  was  in  the  dead  of  winter,  the  month  of  August,  the 
seasons  in  that  south  latitude  being  just  the  reverse  of 
ours. 


240  BED-BUG  LODGINGS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Impressions  of  Melbourne— Getting  Out — Keller's  Bed-bug  Hotel 
—Black  Forest— Bush-rangers— Diggers— Sticking  Up— Harper's 
Hotel  —  Porcupine  Hotel  —  Bendigo  Diggings  —  First  License 
—  Americans  —  Sheep's  Head  —  Ovens  River  —  Marching  in  a 
Robb 

WE  were  very  anxious  to  get  out  of  Melbourne,  for 
the  reason  that  we  were  not  so  favorably  im- 
pressed with  the  people  as  with  those  at  Sidney,  where  one 
could  enter  a  hotel  and  be  treated  as  an  old  friend  or  ac- 
quaintance, while  in  Melbourne,  everyone  seemed  to  look 
upon  a  stranger  with  suspicion,  as  though  he  would  steal 
something,  if  it  was  only  a  meal  of  victuals  or  a  bed. 
Starting  after  dinner,  we  made  ten  miles,  carrying  our 
"swag,"  as  it  was  termed,  and  put  up  at  Keller's  hotel, 
which  could  furnish  the  largest  company  of  bed-bugs  lever 
camped  among.  I  have  faced  some  pretty  hungry  crowds 
of  these  foes  to  man  in  ether  hotels,  but  Keller's  won  the 
cake.  For  our  lodging  we  paid  $1.25  each,  and  two  or 
three  in  a  bed  at  that ;  but  that  was  to  each  individual's 
advantage,  for  one  man  alone  in  a  bed  would  have  been 
suddenly  devoured,  and  that  without  remedy.  The  second 
day  we  made  Gisbourn,  thirty-two  miles  from  Melbourne, 
at  the  border  of  the  Black  Forest,  then  the  terror  of  trav- 


BLACK  FOREST  ROBBERS.  241  : 

elers,  and  through  which  we  went  the  third  day.  This  - 
great  forest,  dark  and  gloomy,  is  situated  near  Mt.  Masi- 
don,  and  was  noted  in  that  day  for  being  the  resort  of 
numerous  bands  of  bush-rangers,  as  they  were  called. 
They  were  certainly  a  most  cruel  band  of  robbers. 
This  day  we  met  parties  of  "diggers,"  as  miners  were 
there  called,  on  the  way  to  town  to  have  a  spree — that  is, 
spend  their  money,  have  a  good  drunk,  as  they  expressed 
it,  and  return.  They  were  in  parties  of  from  ten  to  twenty, 
carrying  in  their  hands  a  ready  cocked  pistol,  or  at  least 
an  old  gun,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  say  who  would  be  in 
greater  danger,  the  bush-ranger  or  he  who  fired  it.  I 
think  I  would  rather  have  taken  the  bush-ranger's  chance. 
This  much  I  am  certain  of,  that  nine  out  of  ten  of  the 
parties  we  met,  had  they  been  attacked  by  three  bush- 
rangers, would  have  surrendered  their  gold  without  any 
resistance,  which  was,  in  fact,  often  the  case.  I  have 
known  of  whole  parties  to  have  been  "stuck  up "  by  only 
two.  They  would  suddenly  ride  in  upon  them  and  cry 
"Hands  up,"  presenting  their  pistols.  The  whole  party 
would  immediately  throw  up,  when  one  of  the  robbers 
would  dismount  and  the  other  sit  on  guard,  while  the  first 
would  go  through  the  pockets  of  every  man,  take  all  his 
gold  and  ride  away.  This  has  been  done  many  times  to 
my  knowledge.  The  third  night  we  stopped  at  Harper's, 
a  man  since  well  known  in  Australia  as  the  owner  of  many 
noted  race-horses.  The  fourth  day  we  passed  through 
Keynton,  one  of  the  oldest  inland  towns  of  the  colony, 
having  some  ten  or  fifteen  houses,  to  Collenbine,  and  thence 
to  the  Porcupine  hotel,  the  greatest  den  of  thieves  and 


242  TAKING  OUT  LICENSE. 

robbers  in  the  colony,  kept  by  two  Jews.  When  we  ar- 
rived, forty  or  fifty  people  from  the  Bendigo  diggings  were 
there,  all  more  or  less  drunk.  We  did  not  stop  inside.  We 
had  stopped  at  many  hard  places,  but  this  was  a  little  too 
tough.  The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  we  pulled  out 
and  made  Bendigo  diggings,  one  hundred  miles  from  Mel- 
bourne, by  noon.  The  first  point  we  struck  was  Newchum 
Gully,  then  down  to  Golden  Gully,  thence  to  Commis- 
sioner's Gully,  never  stopping  for  three  miles,  although 
the  road  was  completely  lined  with  business  places,  and 
back  of  which,  as  far  as  the  hills,  the  ground  was  thickly 
dotted  with  the  canvas  tents  of  the  gold  diggers.  Our 
reason  for  not  stopping  was  that  we  had  to  first  take  out 
a  license  at  thirty  shillings  cost,  which  authorized  the 
holder  to  dig  for  gold  or  carry  on  any  other  business  for 
one  month.  If  a  person  was  caught  on  the  mines  without 
one,  he  was  seized  and  brought  before  the  commissioner 
and  fined  five  pounds  (twenty-five  dollars),  and  if  he  had 
not  the  money  to  pay  the  fine,  he  had  to  work  it  out  like 
other  prisoners,  at  ten  shillings  a  day,  including  costs  and 
the  price  of  a  license  which  he  did  not,  but  ought  to  have 
taken  out.  The  government  had  a  police  force  on  the 
watch  for  such  as  had  no  license.  We  thought  that  if  we 
stopped  on  the  way,  short  of  the  commissioner's  camp, 
we  might  possibly  be  taken  and  fined,  so  we  pulled  for 
headquarters.  We  got  our  license  without  delay,  and 
camped  on  Commissioner's  Gully  for  a  few  days.  Our 
license  bore  date,  September  11,  1852.  The  next  day  be- 
ing Saturday,  we  bought  some  stuff  and  made  ourselves 
a  tent,  Taft,  myself,  Costler,  Babbet  and  Jim  Hull.    I  have 


244  UNCLE  AND  AUNTY. 

neglected  to  mention  before  that  Hull,  the  second  officer 
of  the  United  States  mail  steamer  Oregon,  our  old  room- 
mate in  San  Francisco,  when  we  came  to  start,  suddenly 
concluded  that  he  would  go  with  us,  and  here  he  was.  It 
is  not  usual  for  more  than  four  or  five  to  work  in  one  party, 
so  we  went  together,  while  Loveland,  Beauclerc,  Taylor 
and  Raymond  made  a  second  mess.  We  bought  tools, 
made  a  tent  and  looked  around  on  Saturday.  The  next 
day  being  Sunday,  we  visited  some  Americans  who  had 
come  out  in  the  ship  Wellington,  owned  by  Captain  Thorg- 
morton,  which  sailed  three  months  before  we  did,  an  old 
German  and  his  wife  and  niece,  whose  names  I  do  not  re- 
member if  I  ever  knew  them.  The  old  folks  were  known 
as  uncle  and  aunty,  whom  many  will  remember  to  this 
day.    They  baked  pies  and  made  money.    Of  course  all 

the  Americans  went  there  and  were  told  of  our  arrival, 

* 
as  we  went  there  to  get  our  meals  until  we  got  our  house 

in  order  and  some  cooking  utensils.  The  Americans  visited 
us  and,  of  course,  gave  us  all  the  information  they  had,  and 
offered  to  show  us  around  and  "lay  us  on,"  as  the  expres- 
sion was  for  giving  one  an  insight  of  a  new  place  or  dig- 
gings, and  they  were  as  good  as  their  word.  John  Bar- 
tholomew from  Hamden,  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  and  Robert 
Gunston  from  Canada,  came  in  the  morning  and  showed 
us  through  the  different  gullys,  such  as  Long's,  Iron  Bark, 
California,  Peg  Leg  and  Sheep's  Head.  They  showed  us 
a  hole  in  the  latter,  which  they  had  themselves  sunk, 
said  they  had  not  a  paying  prospect  in  the  bottom,  but  if 
it  was  driven  further  down  it  might  pay.    The  next  morn- 


sheep's  head  diggings.  245 

ing  Taft  and  I  started  to  try  this  hole.  The  others  went 
in  another  direction  to  prospect. 

We  commenced  in  Sheep's  Head  to  drive  in  the  gravel 
and  soon  got  a  paying  prospect,  but  the  gravel  was  so 
hard  that  we  could  make  but  little  headway.  We  found 
upon  trying  that  the  bed  or  bottom  was  soft  pipe  clay, 
so  we  went  down  into  that  and  drove  under  the  wash 
or  drift  and  then  knocked  it  down.  The  prospects  we 
were  now  getting  would  pay  at  least  two  ounces  to  a 
man.  We  went  home  at  night  full  of  hopes,  but  the  others 
had  not  met  with  as  good  luck,  so  we  took  Hull  and 
Babbet  with  us  the  second  day.  Jim  had  never  done  a 
day's  work  in  his  life  before,  that  is,  in  mining,  but  he  was 
willing  to  learn.  He  could  haul  up  the  dust  from  out  of 
the  shaft  or  shovel  it  along  to  the  hole  to  send  up  on 
deck,  as  it  was  expressed,  as  well  as  anyone.  The  dirt 
was  harder  to  wash  than  that  in  California  and  had  to 
be  puddled  in  a  tub.  A  beer  barrel  sawed  in  two  made 
two  tubs,  selling  for  four  pounds  each  or  forty  dollars  for 
a  beer  cask.  A  tub  would  hold  about  six  common  buckets 
of  dirt,  besides  sufficient  water  for  the  process;  puddle 
with  a  shovel  till  the  water  is  thick,  pour  off  and  repeat 
until  the  clay  is  all  off,  leaving  only  the  gravel,  which 
then  goes  to  the  cradle  and  is  washed  down. 

We  got  onto  a  regular  lead  which  we  followed,  and 
we  found  it  paid  two  ounces  to  the  tub,  on  the  average. 
We  worked  off  four  or  five  tubs  while  the  others  were  out 
prospecting.  For  four  weeks  we  washed  out  as  high  as 
a  pound  weight  of  gold  to  the  tub.  The  others  did  not 
understand  our  driving  in  at  the  bottom  and  often  came 


246  SPRING  CREEK  EXCITEMENT. 

and  told  us  that  if  there  was  any  gold  in  there,  we  had 
gone  through  it  or  got  below  it,  but  we  told  them  we 
thought  we  would  come  to  it  by  and  by.  It  is  never  well 
to  let  everyone  know  your  business  in  mining  any  more 
than  in  any  other  business. 

When  we  left  Sidney,  there  were  some  of  our  shipmates 
that  had  started  overland.  They  promised  to  write  us  at 
Bendigo  if  they  struck  anything.  After  we  had  been 
there  about  four  weeks,  we  got  a  letter  from  them  saying 
they  had  struck  something  on  Spring  creek,  a  tributary 
of  Ovens  river,  about  thirty  miles  over  the  boundary  of 
Victoria  district,  and  in  the  territory  of  New  South  Wales, 
in  which  was  Sidney.  The  boys  were  all  up  on  end  to 
start  right  off,  except  myself.  The  others  had  not  done 
as  well  as  our  party,  and  of  course  were  all  the  more  ready 
for  a  start.  But  as  for  myself,  I  could  not  see  the  use 
of  throwing  away  a  certainty  for  an  uncertainty.  I 
protested  and  told  them  I  would  not  go.  The  distance 
was  two  hundred  miles.  But  they  were  determined  to 
go,  and  as  they  thought  I  was  the'  best  one  of  the  party 
to  buy  them  a  horse,  I  was  solicited  with  Costler  to  make 
the  purchase,  including  a  dray,  or  rather  a  drag.  As  there 
was  no  horse  suitable  for  such  a  journey  near  where  we 
were,  we  went  out  on  the  road  towards  Melbourne,  hoping 
to  meet  someone  coming  to  the  diggings  who  might  have 
one  for  sale.  A  few  miles  out  we  found  a  man  and  woman 
by  the  side  of  the  road  eating  their  dinner.  After  a  long 
parley  as  to  the  value  of  horses  in  the  mining  region  and  the 
cost  of  keeping  them  and  their  liability  to  be  stolen,  all 
of  which  were  true,  we  told  the  man  that  if  our  party 


ON  OUR  WAY  THERE.  247 

were  not  about  to  take  a  long  overland  journey,  they 
would  not  take  their  horse  and  drag  as  a  gift.  He  agreed 
to  take  just  what  he  had  paid  in  Melbourne  for  it— fifty- 
five  pounds  sterling,  or  two  hundred  and  sevent}'-five 
dollars  of  our  money.  They  would  have  been  satisfied 
if  we  had  paid  double  that  price.  They  afterwards  sold 
the  horse  for  one  hundred  pounds  and  the  drag  for  thirty 
pounds.  Notwithstanding  my  protest,  I  finally  yielded 
and  went  with  them,  selling  our  claim  to  a  man  who  had 
been  working  near  us,  who  worked  it  for  some  time  and 
did  well.  Our  little  party  had  cleared  for  every  day  we  had 
been  in  Bendigo  two  ounces  per  day  each  man.  There  was 
a  genial  old  Irishman  that  lived  close  by  us  who  requested 
me  to  run  down  (two  hundred  miles)  and  let  him  know 
if  the  new  diggings  turned  out  well.  He  said  it  was  no 
distance  to  walk,  besides,  we  had  a  horse  to  ride.  Of 
course  I  promised  him  I  would  "run  down." 

There  were  nine  of  the  party — Costler,  Taft,  Babbet, 
Hull,  Beauclerc,  Loveland,  Campbell,  Gilmour  and  myself— 
and  the  horse,  cart  and  baggage.  The  journey  was  long 
and  tedious,  over  what  was  then  called  the  old  Sidney 
road,  which  we  struck  at  Seymour,  and  followed  it 
through  Longwood  and  other  towns,  when,  turning 
south,  past  Reed's  station,  we  arrived  at  Spring  creek. 
The  Sidney  road  had  been  built  for  years,  but  we  were  the 
first  party  of  diggers  that  had  ever  traveled  it  up  to  that 
time.  I  was  told  years  afterwards  that  the  first  party  of 
diggers  that  passed  over  that  road  south  to  Ovens— which 
was  our  party — were  the  boys  to  spend  their  money  freely. 
They  never  had  seen  any  diggers  that  had  any  money  to 


^248  SPRING   CREEK  TO   BENDIGO. 

\spend,  and  that  accounted  for  things  being  so  cheap  in 
•comparison  to  what  we  had  been  accustomed  to  pay. 
They  thought  they  were  getting  a  big  price  when  we 
thought  we  were  getting  things  very  cheap.    On  arriving 
at  Spring  creek,  on  the  Ovens  diggings,  we  found  the  ship- 
mates that  had  written  to  some  of  us.    They  had  done 
•pretty  well,  but  the  run  of  gold  they  were  on  was  all 
worked  out,  and  it  presented  a  very  sorry  prospect  to  us. 
But  our  party  set  about  prospecting  and  met  with  some 
success.    There  were  about  forty  miners  there  when  we 
'arrived,  and  were  daily  coming  in,  mostly  from  Sidney, 
:  but  soon  they  began  to  come  in  from  the  lower  or  southern 
■  diggings.    After  stopping  there  about  five  weeks  we  made 
up  our  minds  to  return,  or  at  least  a  part  of  us.    We  all 
bought  horses  and  some  of  us  started  down  to  'Wangar- 
atta   to   get   them   shod;    Loveland    and   three    others 
remained  to  finish  up  and  come  on  the  next  day.    Having 
got  the  horses  shod,  we  waited  for  them  all  day,  but  they 
not  coming  we  started  on,  thinking  they  would  overtake 
us ;  but  they  never  came.  After  we  left,  they  made  a  strike 
and  got  a  claim  agoing  which  happened  to  turn  out  pretty 
good,  and  they  stopped,  and  there  they  remained  until 
they  all  went  home.    We  who  had  started  went  back  to 
Bendigo,  and  there  I  remained  all  the  summer  and  met 
with  varied  success.     I  had  brought  back  the  horse  and 
cart  which  I  originally  bought  for  the  party  of  the  stran- 
ger on  the  Melbourne  road,  and  each  of  the  others  had 
brought  back  a  horse  which  they  sold  in  Bendigo  and' 
doubled  their  money,  but  I  held  on  to  my  horse  and  dray. 
Whenever  there  came  a  rush,  some  were  up  and  off;  others 


SICKNESS— WHITE  HILL  DIGGINGS.  249 

remained  behind  and  worked.  At  last  we  sold  the  horse 
and  dray,  and  when  there  was  no  more  riding  around  we 
were  satisfied  to  stick  to  work  and  make  something. 

I  got  sick,  for  the  climate  did  not  agree  with  me;  besides, 
it  was  very  sickly  in  Bendigo  in  the  summer  of  1852.  The 
burial-ground  of  that  town  looked  like  a  plowed  field.  If 
I  got  partly  well  I  would  have  a  relapse,  and  the  boys  for 
a  time  did  not  believe  I  would  pull  through. 

The  White  Hill,  in  or  near  Bendigo,  was  now  the  excit- 
ing field,  and  there  our  party  worked  most  of  the  time. 
Costler,  Hull  and  myself  worked  together;  Nichols,  Taft 
and  another  man  by  themselves;  and  Reading,  Phelps, 
and  an  old  mate  of  Reading's  made  up  the  third  division. 
Old  uncle  and  aunty  still  ran  the  pie-shop,  and  that  was 
our  only  place  of  social  meeting  or  amusement.  But  since 
then  Bendigo  has  attained  unto  the  proportions  of  a 
respectable  city,  with  all  the  modern  improvements.  But 
the  greatest  change  noticeable  to  an  early  miner  is  in  the 
absence  of  all  the  "old  hands,"  as  they  were  then  called, 
who,  in  due  time,  were  either  hung  or  died  in  prison.  It 
was  certainly  one  of  the  worst  places  on  earth  in  1852-53. 
One  was  not  safe  in  going  outside  of  his  tent  after  dark,  as 
he  was  liable  to  be  either  shot  or  sand-bagged  and  robbed. 
There  was  no  end  of  such  desperate,  murderous  rascality. 
It  would  take  a  thousand  pages  to  record  what  I  have 
personally  known,  to  say  nothing  of  all  reported  from  the 
various  districts  in  the  colony.  They  would  steal  wash- 
dirt,  rob  a  claim,  or  kill  a  man  without  compunction. 
There  were  parties  that  did  nothing  else  but  go  around 
through  the  day  and  learn  where  the  best  dirt  or  richest 


250  MARCHED  HIM  HOME. 

claims  were,  and  come  at  night  and  carry  off  the  dirt.. 
Once  in  awhile  a  thief  and  robber  would  get  shot  in  the 
operation.  We  were  washing  rather  late  one  Saturday 
night ;  had  cleaned  up  our  gold,  and  were  about  to  start 
for  home,  when  Phelps  said  that  it  was  so  late  I  had^ 
better  remain  at  the  mine.  I  told  him  I  would  not,  as  the 
boys  would  be  alarmed  and  be  down  looking  for  me,  but 
would  run  the  risk  of  getting  home  with  the  gold.  He 
asked  if  I  had  my  pistol.  I  had  not,  so  he  insisted  on  my 
taking  one  of  his,  which  I  did,  and  started.  I  had  not 
gone  more  than  a  hundred  yards  when  I  discovered  that 
a  man  was  following  me.  I  let  him  come  up  pretty  close,, 
for  they  won't  shoot  if  they  can  get  on  without  it,  as  the 
report  of  the  pistol  would  sound  the  alarm.  When  I 
thought  he  had  got  near  enough,  I  suddenly  turned  on 
him,  presenting  my  pistol  and  telling  him  he  had  followed? 
me  long  enough,  that  I  would  now  follow  him.  I  ordered 
him  to  walk  on  ahead,  which  he  did,  never  speaking, 
and  I  marched  him  right  home  to  my  tent  and  then  dis- 
missed him.  If  I  had  not  had  the  pistol,  he  would,  un- 
doubtedly, have  knocked  me  senseless  with  a  sand-bag,  or 
garroted  me — a  peculiar  process  very  much  in  vogue  there 
at  that  time.  Government  did  not  allow  liquor  to  be  sold 
on  the  diggings,  which  was  one  of  the  most  beneficial  laws 
of  the  colony.  A  person  caught  selling  would  forfeit  his 
claim  and  all  there  was  in  it  and  have  to  pay  a  fine  of  not 
less  than  fifty  pounds  (two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars),  and 
for  the  second  offense,  the  same  sum  and  six  months  im- 
prisonment. 


MACKIYER  DIGGINGS.  251 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ANew  Rush— Carrying  Swag  —  Mackiver  Diggings— Government 
Escort  Robbed  —  Arrested  and  Searched  —  Our  Landlord's 
Endorsement— Discharged — Blowhards— Shooting  for  a  Wager 
—  Mrs.  Scott's  Fourth  of  July  Dinner  —  Police  Interfere  — 
Captain  Wilson— The  Quack  Doctor  of  the  "Don  Juan"— "Old 
Pills  "— Loyeland's  Noble  Generosity. 

EARLY  in  April,  1853,  there  was  a  new  rush  out  to  a 
place  called  Mackiver,  about  thirty-eight  miles  from 
Bendigo.  The  whole  country  was  alive  with  excitement, 
and  everyone  went  there,  ourselves  with  the  rest.  We 
stopped  there  about  two  months,  and  then  I  concluded  to 
go  back  to  Ovens  ;  but  the  others  were  not  willing  to  go, 
so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go  alone,  if  no  one  would  go 
with  me.  At  last,  a  man  by  name  of  Elliot  agreed  to  go 
also,  and  then  when  Phelps  saw  I  was  determined  on  go- 
ing, he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  with  me.  It  did  not  take 
one  long  to  get  under  way  after  he  had  once  determined, 
for  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  roll  up  his  blankets,  and  he  was 
ready  for  the  road.  We  started  with  our  swag — a  colonial 
term  descriptive  of  such  articles  as  we  were  obliged  to 


252  GOVERNMENT  ESCORT  ROBBED. 

carry  with  us.  The  mode  of  carrying  is  to  spread  out  the 
blankets  and  put  all  the  extra  traps  one  may  have  inside, 
roll  the  blankets  up  tight  lengthwise  and  bind  them  tight, 
then  bring  the  two  ends  together,  forming  a  bow,  some- 
thing like  an  ox-bow,  put  the  hand  through,  letting  the 
upper  side  rest  upon  the  shoulder,  the  other  coming  down 
upon  the  other  side,  the  arm  passing  though.  In  that 
way  one  can  carry  a  heavy  swag  with  little  inconvenience. 
If  one  happens  to  have  a  frying-pan,  which  is  mostly  the 
case,  he  just  sticks  the  handle  through  underneath  the 
strings.  Some  grease  or  crock  may  get  off  the  pan  onto 
the  blankets,  but  that  is  of  but  little  consequence,  as  the 
blanket  is  already  as  dirty  as  it  can  be.  Should  they  hap- 
pen to  be  new,  they  will  soon  be  dirty,  and  the  sooner  the 
better,  as  it  will  save  further  trouble  and  anxiety  of  mind 
in  tr}Ting  to  keep  them  clean. 

The  day  we  left  Mackiver,the  government  escort  left  for 
Melbourne,  with  nine  thousand  ounces  of  gold.  Mer- 
chants and  diggers,  and  almost  everybody,  sent  their  gold 
to  Melbourne  by  the  escort  for  safe  keeping.  In  that  early 
day  there  were  no  banks  in  the  near  vicinity  of  any  of  the 
interior  gold  fields,  so  all  deposits  were  made  in  the  escort 
office — charge  2s.  6d.,  or  sixty-two  cents— take  a  receipt, 
upon  the  presentation  of  which  at  the  treasury  in  Mel- 
bourne, you  receive  your  bag  of  gold  with  your  name  on 
it,  all  sealed  and  stamped  as  you  handed  it  in.  This  was 
the  best,  and,  in  fact,  the  only  absolute  protection  the 
miner  or  the  merchant  had  against  the  dangers  of  robbery 
by  the  bush-rangers.  The  express  transport  was  a  two- 
horse    cart,    driven   by    armed    police    and    escorted    by 


SEARCHED  BY  POLICE.  253 

some  ten  armed  men,  with  pistols  and  blunderbusses,  and 
each  and  all  having  sabers— a  rather  formidable  crowd  for 
a  band  of  robbers  to  encounter.  They  started  in  the 
morning  and  had  traveled  about  twelve  miles,  when, 
rounding  a  short  bend  at  the  head  of  a  gully  where  the 
road  had  been  cut  around  a  sidling,  just  room  for  a  dray 
to  pass,  they  suddenly  found  themselves  among  the  tops 
of  some  fallen  trees,  in  a  place  too  narrow  to  turn  and  make 
their  way  back.  A  heavy  fire  opened  upon  them ;  the  driver 
was  severely  wounded ;  the  horses  and  dray  plunged  down 
the  sidling  into  the  gully  below,  and  upset.  The  police  re- 
turned the  fire,  but  could  not  see  anybody  to  shoot  at,  and 
at  last  beat  a  retreat,  after  several  of  them  were  wounded. 
The  robbers  took  the  gold  and  left. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Seymour,  the  place  where  we  struck 
the  Sidney  road  on  our  way  out,  we  had  heard  nothing 
of  it,  but  were  pounced  upon  by  the  police  of  the  town, 
for  there  were  always  one  or  two  police  in  every  little  town, 
if  it  had  nothing  more  than  a  hotel,  store  and  blacksmith 
shop,  which  was  usually  the  size  of  most  interior  towns  in 
that  day.  Our  swags  were  searched  and  ourselves  subjected 
to  a  rigid  examination,  but  they  found  upon  us  nothing 
but  what  miners  usually  carry,  and  the  landlord  hap- 
pened to  remember  me  as  one  of  the  party  of  diggers  that 
first  went  up  over  the  road  some  ten  months  before,  and 
he  giving  us  all  a  good  character,  we  were  allowed  to  get 
our  breakfast  in  peace  and  go  on  our  way  rejoicing.  Had 
not  the  hotel-keeper  happened  to  recognize  me,  we  might 
have  been  arrested,  put  in  the  lockup,  and  probably  had 
to  lie  there  until  a  magistrate  saw  fit  to  hear  our  case— 


254  A  PARTY  OF  BRAGGERS. 

which  would  have  been  when  he  felt  like  it.  A  digger  or  a 
s  wagsman  was  at  that  time  treated  no  better  by  the  author- 
ities than  a  dog— at  least  by  some  of  them— there  were 
always  exceptions.  Some  possessed  human  hearts,  whom 
the  miners  never  forgot.  Commissioner  Daley  was  an  emi- 
nent exception  to  the  general  run  of  magistrates,  who  will 
be  remembered  by  every  old  miner  that  was  ever  in  the  Bal- 
larat  and  Meribouro  district.  In  his  court  every  man  got 
his  just  legal  rights,  whether  he  was  a  merchant  or  a 
miner,  citizen  or  stranger,  rich  or  poor.  Even  the  defeated 
party  retained  his  confidence  in  the  honesty  and  impar- 
tiality of  Judge  Daley.  There  were  a  few  others  I  could  men- 
tion, alike  honorable  magistrates. 

We  continued  our  journey  without  any  further  trouble 
until  we  reached  the  hotel  in  Banella.  There  was  another 
party  there  like  unto  ourselves,  only  traveling  in  another 
direction.  They  were  from  California,  and  were  great  brag- 
garts and  boasters.  One  was  called  " Grizzly,"  on  account 
of  the  multitude  of  grizzly  bears  he  had  slain.  He  told 
of  wonderful  shots  he  had  made,  particularly  with  a 
Colt's  revolver.  Phelps  was  not  one  to  take  much  stock 
in  one  who  was  always  blowing  his  own  horn,  and 
thought  he  would  have  a  little  fun  with  them.  I  had  my- 
self made  some  accidental  shots  with  a  revolver  that  had 
surprised  our  boys  hardly  less  than  myself;  I  knew  they 
were  all  chance  shots ;  they  did  not,  and  I  took  good  care 
not  to  let  them  know  but  they  were  the  result  of  skill,  so 
my  name  was  high  on  the  roll  of  dead  shots  with  our 
little  party.  But  I  did  not  do  any  more  shooting  in  their 
presence  for  fear  of  letting  the  cat  out  of  the  bag.    I  went 


255 

•off  to  bed,  leaving  Phelps  and  Elliot  up  with  the  stranger 
party  who  were  constantly  telling  wonderful  yarns  about 
grizzly  bears.  At  last  Phelps  told  them  that  he  would 
produce  a  man  he  had  with  him,  in  the  morning,  for 
twenty  pounds  wager,  to  shoot,  if  they  would  like  it. 
They  accepted,  and  one-half  the  wager  was  deposited  in  the 
landlord's  hands.  In  the  morning  Phelps  told  me  what 
he  had  done.  I  told  him  to  withdraw  the  stakes.  No,  he 
would  not,  and  said  he  would  try  to  get  them  to  make  it 
fifty  pounds  a  side.  In  the  meantime  Elliot  had  been 
telling  them  of  the  wonderful  shots  he  had  seen  me  make. 
Phelps  challenged  them  to  shoot  for  fifty.  We  had  break- 
fast, and  I  confess  I  felt  very  uneasy,  for  I  was  conscious 
that  he  was  deceived  about  my  skill.  We  were  just  ready 
to  go  out,  and  the  balance  of  the  money  was  to  be  put 
into  the  landlord's  hands,  when  suddenly  "Grizzly"  was 
•seized  with  a  severe  headache  and  could  not  hit  a  haystack, 
as  he  expressed  it.  Phelps  offered  to  stop  over  another 
day  if  they  would  make  it  fifty,  but  "Grizzly's"  backer 
preferred  to  forfeit.  So  we  took  their  ten  pounds  (fifty 
dollars)  and  went  on  our  journey.  I  told  Phelps  never  to 
back  me  again,  as  my  shooting  was  mere  luck.  The  prob- 
abilities were  that  "Grizzly"  was  only  a  braggart  and  no 
shot. 

We  soon  arrived  at  Beechworth,  as  Spring  creek  was 
now  called.  Phelps  had  some  old  mates  there,  Dan  Towser 
and  some  others.  I  found  Loveland,  Beauclerc,  Campbell, 
Gilmour  and  George  Scott  and  wife,  who  had  come  from 
Nevada  City  with  us.  Scott  had  started  in  the  baking 
business  and  had  been  very  successful,  which  he  could  not 


256  MRS.  scott's  dinner— "o^d  pills.'' 

well    help,   for  a  four  pound    loaf  sold    readily  for   five 
shillings  (one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents).   Loveland  and 
party  had  likewise  been  successful,  and  were  on  the  eve  of 
starting  for  home.    The  Fourth  of  July  was  close  at  hand, 
and  Mrs.  Scott  had  invited  all  her  American  acquaintances 
to  dine  with  her  on  that  day.    It  was  quite  a  large  com- 
pany.   Think  of  Americans  dining  at  the  antipodes  on  the 
Fourth  of  July— in  the  dead  of  winter !    Mr.    Scott,  who 
liked  a  good  time,  had  sent  to  Melbourne  for  all  things 
necessary  to  make  the  occasion  memorable  and  delightful. 
After  dinner  patriotic  songs  were  going  the  rounds  of  the 
party  and  all  in  that  happy  spirit  wherein,  especially  on 
that  day,  every  American  feels  the  truths  of  the  famous 
Declaration— that  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness 
is  his  birthright — when  there  came  a  knock  at  the  door. 
Scott  went  to  the  door  and  found  three  police  officers  there 
who  notified  him  that   they  had  instructions  from  the 
inspector,  Mr.  Wilson,  to  order  a  stop  to  all  singing  at 
once.    The  police  were  civil  and  were  only  observing  the 
orders  of  their  superior  officer,  therefore  we  could  not 
blame  them,  so  we  called  them  in  and  treated  them  to  a 
drink  of  bourbon  and  showed  them  other  American  Fourth 
of  July  hospitalities,  Beauclerc  telling  them  he  would  see 
Mr.  Wilson,  and  called  me  to  go  with  him.    We  went  up  to 
the  camp,  as  the  police  headquarters  were  called,  and  asked 
to  see  Mr.  Wilson,  the  mighty  man  in  authority  who  would 
suppress  patriotic  songs  on  the  American  Declaration  day. 
Presently,  out  stepped  a  gruff,  pompous  little  man,  dressed 
in  a  double-breasted,  blue  frock-coat,  with  two  rows  of 
brass  buttons  down  the  front.    His  appearance  reminded 


i  y 


K&j 


loyeland's  offer.  257 

one  at  once  of  the  character  in  the  play  who  uttered  the 
warning : 

— "Who  dares  these  boots  displace 
Shall  meet  Bombasto  face  to  face." 

It  needed  but  one  look  to  recognize  the  valiant  quack, 
our  doctor  of  the  Don  Juan.  Beauclerc  immediately  accosted 
him  with  the  familiar  salutation:  "How  are  you,  Old 
Pills?"  and  at  the  same  time  stepped  up  to  him  and  taking 
him  by  the  two  ears  and  nearly  lifting  him  off  his  feet, 
asked  him  how  he  would  like  to  fight  another  duel. 
"Oh,"  said  Beauclerc,  "you  are  a  consummate  old  cow- 
ard; and  now,"  said  he,  "we  are  holding  a  little  celebra- 
tion down  here,  and  we  don't  want  your  men  to  interrupt 
us,  so  see  that  they  don't.  Good-night,  Pills."  Wilson 
never  opened  his  mouth,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  we 
were  not  interfered  with  again  that  night. 

Loveland  wanted  me  to  go  home  with  him,  but  I  had 
not  made  much  of  anything  to  go  home  with.  He  offered 
me  a  thousand  dollars  and  said  no  one  should  know  it, 
that  I  could  by  trade  make  more  money  with  a  thousand 
dollars  than  many  would  out  of  four  times  that  amount, 
and  he  would  go  and  settle  down  on  a  farm.  I  could 
not  accept  his  generous  offer.  At  last  he  said,  "What  sum 
do  you  want  to  go  home  with?"  I  told  him  that  when  I 
had  made  a  thousand  pounds  (five  thousand  dollars),  I 
would  go.  He  stood  for  a  minute  and  then  said  he  would 
remain  until  I  made  it.  So  the  other  boys  left,  but  he 
staid,  and  we  went  in  together. 


258  WOOLSHED  PARTNERSHIP. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Woolshed  Creek  Diggings— Health  Failed— Expensive  Traveling 
—  Bread  and  Milk— Melbourne  Again— American  Circus— Min- 
strel Company— Ocean  Steamers— Loveland  Departs— Loneli- 
ness and  Regret— Mr.  Walter— The  Great  Nugget— Restaurant 
Business  —  Mrs.  Hanmer  and  the  Adelphi  —  Horsewhips  Her 
Partner— Mr.  Wooden. 

AT  the  opening  of  Spring  creek  the  diggings  were  all 
above  the  falls.  There  were  two  large  falls  in  the 
stream.  Above  the  first  it  was  called  Spring  creek, 
between  the  two,  Reed's  creek,  and  below  the  second, 
Woolshed  creek,  all  three  being  the  same  creek.  On 
Reed's  there  had  been  some  very  rich  diggings  in  1853, 
but  they  were  supposed  to  be  worked  out  at  that  time, 
and  were  nearly  deserted.  They  had  been  very  wet  and  it 
was  impossible  for  inexperienced  miners  to  work  the 
ground  thoroughly.  We  had  been  over  the  ground  and 
thought  we  could  get  fall  enough  to  put  up  a  tail-race 
and  drain  it.  So  we  went  to  the  commissioners  for  a 
permit  for  that  purpose,  but  he  told  us  he  had  no  author- 
ity to  grant  such  a  permit;  however,  if  we  did  so,  he 
would  give  us  all  the  protection  in  his  power.  So  we 
formed  a  party  of  nine,  Loveland,  Elliot,  Bartholomew, 
Williams,  Phelps,  and  his  three  mates  and  myself,   and 


SICK  AND  GOES  TO  MELBOURNE.  259 

began  the  work.  In  about  three  weeks  my  health  failed 
me  again,  from  working  in  the  water,  and  I  was  never 
able  to  do  any  more  work,  although  we  stopped  there 
till  November.  It  proved  a  good  investment.  We  worked 
as  many  as  eight  to  twelve  men,  besides  our  own  party, 
paying  seven  pounds  per  week  (thirty-five  dollars)  to  each 
hired  man.  Our  company  divided  as  high  as  eighteen 
ounces  per  man  each  week. 

I  was  getting  worse  all  the  time  and  concluded  to  go  to 
Melbourne.  Loveland  said  he  would  go  with  me,  being  in 
hopes  that  he  would  get  me  started  for  home,  and  I  think 
I  should  have  gone,  but  the  doctor  frightened  me  by  say- 
ing that  if  I  went  I  would  not  live  half  the  way.  We 
bought  saddle-horses  and  started,  traveling  at  easy 
stages,  some  days  lying  over,  but  at  last  reached  there. 
Traveling  was  an  expensive  luxury  in  those  days — seven 
dollars  and  a  half  to  keep  a  horse  over  night,  two  dollars 
and  a  half  to  bait  at  noon,  meals  and  bed  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  each,  or  about  fourteen  dollars  a  day. 
We  were  twelve  days  on  the  road.  The  night  before  we 
reached  Melbourne  I  saw  some  cows,-  which  reminded  me 
of  bread  and  milk,  which  neither  of  us  had  had  since  we 
left  home  in  Ohio.  I  asked  for  some,  and  thought  they 
were  a  long  time  getting  it  ready ;  at  last  it  came.  They 
had  boiled  the  milk  and  poured  it  over  the  bread.  Being 
sick  my  stomach  was  not  strong,  and  when  I  got  one 
smell  of  the  steam  of  the  hot  milk,  it  was  enough  for  me, 
and  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  never  been  able  to  endure 
the  smell  of  hot  milk. 

We  put  up  at  the  Australian  Family  Phelix  hotel,  on  the 


260 


THEATRES,   CIRCUS  AND  MINSTRELS.  261 

corner  of  Bourk  and  Russell  streets,  kept  by  Mrs.  Sawyers. 
Many  of  the  early  settlers  of  Melbourne  will  remember  the 
landlady  as  well  as  the  house.  We  had  found  a  great 
change  in  Melbourne  since  we  were  there  seventeen  months 
before.  The  place  had  grown  beyond  all  knowledge. 
Lahard's  Beech  was  now  called  Sandridge,  and  boasted  a 
population  of  over  three  thousand.  Between  there  and 
Melbourne  was  Emerald  Hill.  Some  will  remember  it  as 
Canvas-town,  on  account  of  its  then  being  entirely  of  can- 
vas tents.  The  streets  were  macadamized,  or  mettled,  as 
it  was  called,  and  there  were  several  suburban  towns 
around,  fast  growing  up,  which  have  long  since  become 
cities,  such  as  Collingwood,  Richmond,  Williamstown,  and 
several  others  of  less  importance.  Melbourne  then  sup- 
ported but  one  theatre,  the  Queen's,  but  Roe's  American 
circus  was  there  in  full  blast,  the  greatest  attraction  of 
the  town.  It  ran  there  for  over  eight  months,  with  two 
entertainments  a  day,  to  crowded  houses,  tickets  two  and 
two  and  a  half  dollars.  It  was  said  that  the  proprietor 
cleared  over  half  a  million  dollars  in  Australia  in  less  than 
ten  months.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  must,  however,  have 
cleared  a  large  sum  of  money  while  there.  He  went  from 
there  back  to  California,  and  lost  nearly  all  of  it  by  invest- 
ments in  Spanish  land  grants.  Raynor's  Serenaders  were 
there  coining  money,  but  it  is  such  slippery  stuff  that  few 
of  the  company  were  able  to  hold  on  to  it.  Frank  Moran 
was  the  only  one  of  them  out  of  the  whole  company  that 
carried  home  any  money. 

Australia  had  now  become  a  shipping  point  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  whole  commercial  world.     Ships  were 


262  PARTING  WITH  LOVELAND. 

daily  arriving  from  all  parts  of  the  globe.  The  great 
ocean  steamers  were  now  coming  in  weekly  and  almost 
daily— three  from  California,  the  Monumental  City,  the  Or- 
leans and  the  Golden  Gate,  all  loaded  with  passengers.  The 
first  two  were  sold  here  on  the  coast;  the  last  went  back 
to  San  Francisco.  The  steamer  Great  Britain  was  then  in 
port  and  about  to  sail  on  her  second  voyage  to  England. 
Loveland  had  paid  his  passage  on  her  and  was  about  to 
return  home.  Taft  had  heard  of  it  and  had  come  down 
from  Bendigoto  bid  himgood-by.  He  tried  to  have  me  go 
with  him,  and,  in  the  language  of  one  of  old,  he  "  almost 
persuaded  me."  But  the  doctors  had  fastened  me,  and  so 
I  remained  behind,  and  was  exceedingly  lonesome  after  he 
was  gone.  I  never  had  a  brother  that  it  was  possible  to 
think  more  of.  He  was  the  soul  of  honor  and  always 
ready  to  do  a  good  turn  to  any  deserving  man ;  but  the 
best  of  friends  must  part,  and  so  did  Loveland  and  I.  Taft 
was  now  the  only  one  of  those  whom  I  had  known  in  m}- 
bo}-hood  days,  and  he  was  soon  going  to  Ballarat  to  try 
his  luck  there.  I  was  still  sick,  and  really  believe  that  I 
would  have  died  if  I  had  not  quarreled  with  my  doctor 
and  quit  taking  his  medicine.  Just  at  this  time  Dr.  Nichols 
came  down  from  Bendigo,  and  I  told  him  that  the  doctors 
were  trying  to  see  how  much  I  could  stand  without  dying. 
He  agreed  with  me,  and  said  that  all  I  wanted  was  a  littie 
of  this  and  that  to  strengthen  me  and  he  would  get  it  if 
I  liked,  and  before  I  knew  it  he  had  me  under  a  regular, 
course,  and  I  was  soon  able  to  be  about,  and  in  a  month 
was  in  a  condition  to  go  up  to  Ballarat.    It  was,  however, 


PLEASANT  MR.   WALTER.  263 

out  of  the  question  for  me  to  think  of  going  to  digging, 
so  I  thought  of  looking  for  something  else  to  do. 

While  I  was  sick  at  Mrs.  Sawyers',  there  was  a  young 
Englishman  there  who  often  came  to  my  room  and  in- 
quired as  to  my  condition,  and  would  ask  if  there  was 
anything  I  would  like,  and  if  so,  he  would  be  happy  to  get 
it  for  me.  I  at  first  wished  he  would  stay  away  and  not 
bother  me,  but  always  answered  him  civilly  and  thanked 
him.  I  wondered  what  it  was  to  him  whether  I  was  better 
or  not.  At  last  he  came  in  and  sat  longer  than  usual,  and 
said  I  had  been  sick  a  long  time,  that  it  must  have  been  a 
great  expense  to  me,  that  he  was  going  away.  He  asked 
if  there  was  anything  he  could  do  for  me  before  going.  I 
thanked  him  again  and  said  no.  He  arose  to  retire, 
and  as  he  did  so,  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and 
pulled  out  a  twenty  pound  note  and  offered  it  to  me. 
I  saw  at  once  his  generous  motive.  He  did  not  know 
how  I  stood  financially — knew  I  had  been  sick  for  a  long 
time  and  had  no  friends  there  then  and  perhaps  was 
out  of  money,  and  that  likely  I  was  too  modest  to  ask,  for 
fear  of  offending,  and  he  wanted  to  assist  me.  My  feelings 
changed  towards  him  at  once.  I  thanked  him  for  his 
proffered  kindness,  and  we  parted,  little  thinking  we  would 
ever  meet  again,  for  he  thought,  as  he  afterwards  told  me, 
that  he  was  sure  I  never  would  recover.  Some  two  months 
after,  when  I  went  to  Ballarat,  the  coach  stopped  at  a 
store,  and  as  I  got  out  the  first  man  I  saw  was  Mr.  Walter, 
as  he  was  called,  and  which  I  always  supposed  to  be  his 
surname  for  more  than  a  year  after. 

Ballarat  was  the  oldest  diggings  in  the  colony,  gold  hav- 


264  THE  FAMOUS  NUGGET. 

ing  been  first  discovered  at  Bunningyon,  in  the  depart- 
ment of  Victoria,  by  one  Hargraves,  though  since  dis- 
puted by  some— at  all  events,  he  got  the  reward.  It  was 
traced  from  there  into  Newchum  Gully  and  others  around. 
It  was  out  of  Newchum  that  Taylor's  lead  was  traced, 
which  ran  into  deep  sinkings,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
first  big  nugget  was  discovered.  The"  parties  that  found 
it  came  out  in  the  Great  Britain  and  went  to  Ballarat, 
having  found  the  nugget  of  seventy-two  pounds  weight  in 
so  remarkably  short  a  time  that  they  returned  in  the  same 
ship  in  six  weeks  from  the  time  they  sailed  from  England. 
That  was  luck,  indeed.  That  famous  and  ever  to  be  re- 
membered nugget  was  found  in  Taylor's  Lead,  near  Bal- 
larat, in  the  department  of  Victoria,  about  sixty  miles 
northwest  of  Melbourne.  There  were  many  rich  claims  in 
that  locality.  As  many  as  seventy  pounds  of  gold  have 
been  washed  out  of  one  tub  of  wash  dirt  of  six  common 
buckets.  When  I  arrived  in  Ballarat,  they  were  working 
the  Canadian  Lead,  the  Red  Hill,  the  Eureka  and  the 
Gravelpits,  all  of  which  were  then  over  one  hundred  feet 
deep,  some  a  hundred  and  fifty.  There  was  only  one  little 
wooden  building,  known  as  the  Baths  Hotel,  a  commis- 
sioner's tent  of  canvas  and  a  log  lockup,  or  jail,  often  an 
indispensable  building.  On  the  hill  where  the  town  was 
laid  out  there  was  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  tents,  ex- 
clusive of  the  commissioner's  camp.  The  post-office  was 
in  a  large  canvas  tent.  There  was  a  store  on  Taylor's 
Lead,  kept  by  an  American  named  Larue ;  also  an  American 
firm,  Moody,  Nichols  &  Smith.     These  gentlemen  were 


OPENING  A  RESTAURANT.  265 

from  Boston,  and  I  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  men- 
tion them. 

I  had  come  to  Ballarat  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  if  there 
was  any  kind  of  business  I  could  go  into.  I  found  Taft 
and  many  acquaintances,  who  all  strongly  urged  me  to 
open  a  restaurant  in  the  American  style,  something  of 
the  kind,  they  said,  being  greatly  needed  there,  as  one 
could  not  get  a  good  meal  in  the  place.  So  I  concluded 
to  go  into  that  business,  and  went  back  at  once  to  Mel- 
bourne to  procure  the  necessaries.  I  bought  a  tarpaulin, 
thirty  by  forty  feet,  for  a  building ;  an  American  cooking 
stove,  for  which  I  paid  two  hundred  dollars,  worth  about 
thirty  at  home ;  in  fact,  I  procured  everything  I  wanted, 
even  all  my  provisions,  and  shipped  them  to  Geelong,  a  town 
on  one  of  the  arms  of  Port  Phillip  bay.  From  there  they 
had  to  be  hauled  in  drays  to  Ballarat,  at  a  cost  of  fifty 
dollars  a  ton.  After  making  my  purchases  I  started  back 
at  once  to  get  up  the  frame  of  my  house  and  get  it  covered 
ready  to  receive  my  goods.  It  does  not  take  much  time 
to  erect  a  house  in  the  diggings,  and  I  had  my  restaurant 
in  full  running  order  in  less  than  a  week.  Desiring  to 
make  a  favorable  impression  at  the  opening,  I  got  up  a 
grand  oyster  supper  and  invited  all  the  camp  officials, 
so  as  to  make  a  grand  splurge,  and,  if  possible,  gain  the 
good  opinion  of  those  gentlemen.  I  not  only  plied  them 
with  good  fat  oysters,  but  enabled  them  to  be  convivial 
in  the  indulgence  of  choice  wines.  Spirituous  liquors  were 
supposed  not  to  be  allowed  about  the  diggings.  It  was 
a  great  risk  to  run  in  selling  it,  but  the  greater  the  risk 
the  greater  the  price  paid  for  it.    I  thought  if  I  succeeded 


266  RECIPROCATING  WALTER'S  KINDNESS. 

in  getting  the  good-will  of  the  officials,  there  would  be 
less  chance  of  my  being  pulled  and  fined.  Of  course  one 
cared  nothing  for  a  fine,  but  for  the  second  offense  there 
would  be  not  only  a  fine,  but  six  months  in  jail,  which 
would  be  very  embarrassing  to  a  business  man  like  my- 
self, and  therefore  great  care  had  to  be  observed  as  to 
whom  one  sold  it.  However,  on  this  important  occasion 
I  ventured  to  bring  out  the  beer  and  spirituous  liquors 
to  the  officials,  just  as  though  I  had  a  license  to  dispense 
fermented  and  spirituous  liquors,  and  my  theory  proved 
correct.  They  spent  the  evening  with  me,  and  of  course 
did  not  send  around  the  liquor  searchers  to  overhaul  my 
place.  So  I  had  a  run  of  about  two  months  without  once 
being  molested.  My  profits  in  that  branch  of  business 
were  by  far  more  remunerative  than  in  the  other,  but  in 
order  to  make  the  one  pay  I  was  necessitated  to  run  the 
other.  Then  I  had  friends  who  kept  me  posted,  who 
always  knew  when  the  police  were  going  to  make  a  raid 
on  the  liquor  shanties,  as  they  were  called.  About  the 
ninth  week  I  got  notice,  but  in  time  to  sell  out  and  at  a 
good  profit.  After  selling,  I  reckoned  up  and  found  that  I 
had  cleared  six  hundred  pounds  (three  thousand  dollars), 
and,  what  was  better,  had  not  been  pulled  for  selling 
liquors.  That  circumstance  operated  favorably  in  mak- 
ing sale  of  my  establishment. 

Just  at  that  time,  Walter,  the  young  friend  before 
alluded  to,  was  taken  very  sick  with  the  colonial  fever, 
and  remembering  his  kindness  to  me,  I  went  to  see  him 
and  found  him  in  a  very  critical  condition.  He  was  raving 
mad,  with  no  one  to  look  after  him,  and  was  administered 


Walter's  family  arrive.  267 

to  by  two  drunken  doctors;  one  of  them,  however,  was  a 
very  good  surgeon,  but  liquor  had  got  the  better  of  him.  I 
saw  that  unless  the  young  man  was  watched  and  cared 
for,  there  could  be  no  hope  of  his  recovery.  I  told  the 
doctor  so,  and,  furthermore,  that  if  he  would  keep  sober, 
I  would  stay  by  the  patient  constantly  as  long  as  he 
lived,  or  until  he  got  well.  The  doctor  promised,  and  was 
faithful  to  his  word.  I  stayed  night  and  day  with  Walter 
till  his  delirium  broke  and  left  him  in  an  exhausted  and 
helpless  state.  I  was  with  him  three  weeks  before  he  was 
considered  out  of  danger.  When  he  got  all  right,  the 
doctor  celebrated  his  supposed  medical  triumph  by  getting 
on  a  protracted  drunk  and  making  up  for  lost  time.  The 
colonial  terror  is  a  sort  of  typhus,  and  one  never  knows 
when  he  is  over  with  it.  New  arrivals  in  the  colony  are 
the  most  subject  to  it. 

As  soon  as  Walter  was  able  to  understand  what  was 
said  to  him,  I  gave  him  a  letter  from  Coffey,  Hill  &  Com- 
pany of  Melbourne,  notifying  him  that  his  father  and 
mother  had  arrived  with  all  their  family,  and  were  wait- 
ing for  him  to  come  to  Melbourne.  He  not  being  able,- 
requested  me  to  go  in  his  stead,  which  I  did,  and  found 
the  father  a  fine  specimen  of  an  old  English  gentleman, 
and  the  mother  and  two  daughters  very  agreeable  per- 
sons ;  besides,  there  were  four  younger  brothers,  the  oldest 
a  boy  about  sixteen  years.  The  old  gentleman  had  been 
in  good  circumstances,  but  having  met  with  some  very 
heavy  losses,  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  remaining  in 
England,  and  had  come  out  to  the  colonies  to  his  son.  I 
remained  a  few  days  with  them,  and  after  assuring  them 


268  CONCERT  HALL— ADELPHI  THEATRE, 

i 

that  Walter  would  be  with  them  as  soon  as  possible  for 
him  to  leave,  I  returned  and  reported.  They  had  heard 
some  hard  reports  in  England,  before  starting,  about  the 
state  of  society  in  the  colonies,  and  it  required  all  my  in- 
ventive resources  to  explain  to  them  satisfactorily  how 
we  managed  to  get  on  without  the  church  and  the  stated 
preaching  of  the  gospel;  how  we  had  to  do  our  own  wash- 
ing, and  justified  the  necessity  of  our  doing  the  same  on 
Sunday,  though  neither  Walter  or  myself  had  washed  a 
shirt  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant.  The 
fact  was,  that  we  usually  wore  one  until  it  was  in  the  last 
stages  of  consumption  and  dirt,  bought  another,  and 
threw  the  old  one  away.  As  this  method  would  seem  to 
the  family  extravagant,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  explain  to 
them  how  others  did,  so  they  would  naturally  conclude 
that  we  had  to  do  likewise. 

Walter  had  been  engaged  in  building  a  large  concert 
hall  and  wished  me  to  join  him  in  the  enterprise,  partic- 
ularly as  his  people  had  arrived  and  he  would  have  to  be 
away  considerably  until  they  got  settled.  So  I  went  into 
partnership  with  him,  and  we  opened  the  hall  with  the 
Empire  minstrels.  They  took  for  a  short  time  and  did 
well.  Then  we  took  the  company  to  Creswell  Creek,  some 
twelve  miles  distant,  where  they  performed  for  a  week. 
The  company  consisted  of  J.  Hull,  J.  Swinerton,  R.  Mitchel, 
John  Monroe,  Ben  Davis  and  one  Wilson.  I  mention 
these  names,  as  many  of  them  are  still  alive  (1887),  and 
have  since  become  wealthy  and  prominent  men.  We  had 
an  offer  to  move  the  Empire  hall  to  Red  Hill  and  lease  it 
for  a  theatre  to  one  Mrs.  Hanmer,  which  we  accepted, 


MRS.   HANMER  AND  HER  PARTNER.  269 

moved  it  and  re-christened  it  the  Adelphi  theatre.  But 
somehow  Mrs.  Hanmer  and  I  could  not  get  along  happily 
together,  and  disagreed  respecting  the  rent.  She  wished 
to  pay  in  promises  and  smiles,  which  I  did  not  consider 
legal  tender,  so  I  closed  the  theatre.  Now  there  was  a 
young  man,  Mr.  Smith,  one  of  the  firm  of  Moody,  Nichols 
&  Smith,  who  differed  from  me  respecting  the  value  of 
Mrs.  Hanmer's  promises  and  smiles.  He  seemed  to  con- 
sider them  as  way  above  par  and  reproached  me  for 
declining  the  lady's  terms,  and  said  he  would  have  accepted 
her  circulating  medium.  I  told  him  I  would  sell  to  him. 
and  he  could  make  her  a  present  of  it  if  he  liked,  and  I 
finally  sold  it  to  him  for  three  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars.  Walter  had  left  and  so  had  his  people,  but  that 
made  no  difference,  for  I  knew  he  was  as  heartily  sick  of 
theatres  and  theatricals  of  that  class  as  I  was.  We  suf- 
fered no  loss  in  that  enterprise,  a  thing  novices  in  the 
business  are  rarely  known  to  do.  Smith  ran  it  about  a 
month,  when,  in  the  last  scene  of  this  eventful  history,  the 
lady  appeared,  sans  promises,  sans  smiles,  sans  money, 
sans  everything  but  a  horsewhip,  which  she  laid  over 
the  head  and  shoulders  of  poor  Smith  with  the  spirit  and 
vigor  of  a  McDuff,  and  that  closed  his  theatrical  partner- 
ship with  Mrs.  Hanmer.  He  afterwards  told  me  that  he 
thought  I  was  a  fool  for  not  continuing  in  the  business, 
which  he  supposed  had  a  pile  of  money  in  it.  I  returned 
the  compliment  by  telling,  him  I  knew  he  was  when  he 
bought  me  out. 

I  had  occasion  one  day  to  go  into  a  boot  and  shoe  store 
to  buy  a  pair  of  boots.    The  young  man  waiting  upon 


270  DISCOVERS  AN  OHIO  MAN. 

me  seemed  to  be  remarkably  inquisitive.  Asked  if  I  was 
an  American,  and  from  what  part.  I  said  from  the  north. 
What  state?  Ohio.  What  part?  Northern  part,  I  said,  not 
caring  to  be  explicit,  as  some  like,  Jews  in  particular,  to  be 
familiar,  they  thinking  that  by  doing  so  they  will  be  more 
sure  of  your  custom.  A  boot  I  once  tried  on  in  a  Jew's 
store  being  of  most  ordinary  kind,  I  remarked  that  they 
were  penitentiary  made  boots.  "Yes,"  said  he,  "they 
are  from  the  state  of  Penitentiary;  I  have  been  there 
myself."  So  it  was  with  hundreds  that  never  saw  the 
United  States,  but  would  claim  to  be  from  there.  I  was 
rather  shy  of  the  young  man's  multitude  of  inquiries,  and 
at  last  having  fitted  on  my  boots,  I  was  about  to  pay 
him  the  price,  twenty-five  dollars,  when  he  asked  me  if  I 
had  ever  been  in  Twinsburg,  Summit  county,  Ohio.  This 
roused  me  up  suddenly  and  I  was  as  solicitous  about  him 
as  he  had  been  about  me,  and  it  now  became  my  turn  to 
ask  questions,  and  I  was  delighted  to  answer  his  last 
question  in  the  affirmative.  Though  much  younger,  he 
thought  he  remembered  me.  Was  not  my  name  Ferguson  ? 
Yes.  Upon  that  an  old  man  jumped  off  his  work-bench, 
and  asked  me  if  I  was  not  the  son  of  S.  H.  Ferguson, 
formerly  of  Aurora.  Upon  being  told  that  I  was,  he  was 
completely  transported  with  delight,  although  he  had 
never  seen  me  before.  I  was  the  first  that  he  had  met 
since  leaving  home  who  had  .come  from  anywhere  near 
his  place,  and  that  was  almost  as  well.  After  talking 
with  him  for  awhile,  and  he  had  got  all  the  news  I  pos- 
sessed, although  he  had  left  years  after  I  did,  I  produced 
a  ten-pound  colonial  note  to  pay  for  the  boots.     No, 


ANXIETY  FOR  NEWS.  271 

he  would  not  take  a  cent.  Then  I  told  him  I  could 
not  take  them.  ''Well,"  said  he,  "then  we  will  com- 
promise. Those  boots  cost  me  just  twelve  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  and  that  is  all  I  will  take  of  the  first  Port- 
age county  boy  that  I  have  met  since  I  left  home."  His 
name  was  E.  S.  Wooden,  and  his  son's  name  was  Lew. 

They  were  both  very  anxious  to  hear  more  news,  so 
much  so  that  they  reminded  me  of  the  story  of  the  man  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  who  met  a  man  who  used  to  live  in 
Memphis  ten  years  before  and  was  anxious  to  hear  the 
news  from  home.  The  man  that  had  been  gone  a  long 
time  told  the  man  last  from  Memphis  all  the  news.  He 
was  not  satisfied  and  wanted  to  hear  more.  "  Try  and 
think  of  something  else,"  he  said.  "Well,"  said  the  old 
traveler,  "you  remember  the  hill  back  of  the  city?" 
"Yes."  "Do  you  remember  the  deep  hole  sunk  in  the  top 
of  the  hill?"  '  "Yes,  what  of  it?"  "Why,"  said  he,  "the 
hill  has  all  washed  away  and  left  that  hole  sticking  up 
two  hundred  feet  in  the  air!"  I  shall  have  occasion  to 
mention  Mr.  Wooden  hereafter,  for  he  afterwards  proved 
a  good  and  true  friend  to  me. 

Walter  had  not  yet  returned,  and  I  bought  an  interest 
in  a  mining  claim  on  the  gravel-pit  lead  for  one  thousand 
dollars.  The  sinking  was  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  deep,  and  the  gutters,  or  lead  of  gold,  not  more  than 
four  feet  at  the  widest,  but  there  was  paying  dirt  to  be 
obtained  on  either  side  the  gutter,  on  what  was  termed 
the  reef.  The  size  of  a  claim  was  only  twenty  feet  square 
for  a  party  of  men,  no  matter  how  large  the  party  was. 
The  usual  custom  was  for  some  man  to  peg  out  the  claim 


272  GRAVEL-PIT  CLAIM. 

upon  what  was  supposed  to  be  where  the  lead  was  com- 
ing, and  hold  this  for  months,  by  a  system  called  by  the 
diggers  "  shepherding  "—that  is,  he  had  to  appear  on  the 
claim  every  day,  no  matter  whether  he  worked  or  not. 
This  lasted  till  the  lead  was  worked  up  to  near  him.  If  the 
lead  took  a  turn,  which  it  frequently  did,  it  would  throw 
him  out  and  his  time  was  lost.  If  it  stood  what  was 
called  a  good  show,  he  would  be  able  to  sell  out  shares  at 
from  fifty  to  as  high  as  three  hundred  pounds,  or  fifteen 
hundred  dollars.  Those  leads  were  all  very  wet,  and 
required,  when  set  in  full  work,  to  be  run  night  and  day  in 
order  to  keep  the  water  down,  and  all  parties  were  obliged 
to  work  constantly,  or  their  claim  was  liable  to  be  jumped. 
It  was  very  wet  and  required  a  party  of  eight,  four  on  a 
shift,  every  day,  including  Sundays— shaft  4  feet  by  2  feet, 
10  inches  wide,  100  feet  deep,  and  timbered.  It  went 
through  two  courses  of  quicksand,  very  difficult  to  guard 
against.  A  well-hole  was  sunk  in  the  bottom  rock  large 
enough  to  turn  an  eighteen  gallon  bucket,  by  which  the 
shaft  was  kept  dry.  It  was  very  expensive — slabs  $35  per 
hundred,  and  800  were  required;  windlass  $25;  rope  $75; 
two  18  gallon  buckets  $100  more;  so  it  was  no  small 
expense  to  furnish  a  claim. 

Walter  had  now  returned  and  was  anxious  to  join  me, 
so  we  concluded  to  invest  all  we  had  and  make  or  break,  as 
he  termed  it.  His  eldest  brother,  Tom,  came  up  with  him, 
and  we  thought  he  had  better  look  around  for  a  time 
before  he  went  at  anything,  as  he  was  only  sixteen,  and 
not  able  to  take  a  man's  place.  He  was  a  noble  fellow  and 
soon  became  a  favorite  with  all.    One  day  he  came  to  me 


BENTLEY'S  HOTEL— " MURDER  WILL  OUT."     273 

and  said  he  had  an  offer  to  furnish  a  claim  and  take  a 
share  in  it.  I  told  him  to  take  it.  He  was  very  anxious 
to  do  so,  as  the  party  had  offered  to  accept  him  as  a  full 
hand  to  work  one  of  the  shares.  Soon  Walter  came,  who 
also  had  a  grand  chance  to  furnish  a  claim  which  was  dead 
on  the  same  lead.  I  told  him  of  Tom's  chance,  which  I 
thought  was  just  as  good.  He  thought  not,  as  he  said  the 
lead  was  not  going  in  that  direction,  and  poor  Tom  had  to 
throw  up  his  chance,  and  it  was  a  great  disappointment 
to  him.  I  would  willingly  have  furnished  it  myself  for 
him,  only  Walter  was  so  much  opposed  to  it  that  we 
abandoned  the  notion.  Walter's  claim  proved  a ' '  rank  duf- 
fer," as  failures  were  called.  The  claim  that  Tom  wanted 
to  furnish  proved  the  richest  on  the  lead ;  in  fact,  it  was 
the  junction  of  the  two  gravel-pits  on  the  hill,  dividing 
seventy  pounds  of  gold  per  share.  So  one  will  readily  see 
that  judgment  has  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  law  to  permit  license  for 
hotels  on  the  diggings,  and  there  came  a  man  by  name  of 
Bentley  and  built  a  fine  hotel  on  the  Eureka  reef.  For 
about  three  months  he  was  just  coining  money,  but  one 
morning,  after  he  had  been  running  the  hotel  that  long,  a 
dead  man  was  found  about  two  hundred  yards  from  his 
house.  No  one  could  tell  how  it  happened.  An  inquest 
was  held,  but  nothing  was  brought  to  light  except  that 
he  was  a  Scotchman  by  the  name  of  Cobey,  I  think.  He 
was  buried,  and  all  went  on  as  usual.  Bentley's  business 
was  splendid,  until  one  day  one  of  his  waiters  got  on  a 
spree  and  he  discharged  him,  when,  as  the  saying  is,  "  mur- 
der will  out."    It  seems  that  Cobey  came  to  the  hotel  one 


274  bentley's  fate. 

night  after  it  was  closed,  and  because  Ben tley  would  not  let 
him  in,  he  commenced  to  break  the  windows,  whereupon 
Bentley  went  out  and  hit  him  an  unlucky  blow  and  killed 
him,  and  he  and  the  waiter  were  the  only  ones  that  knew 
of  it.  They  drew  him  off  and  left  him  where  he  was  found, 
Bentley  supposing  the  waiter  so  far  implicated  in  the 
transaction  that  he  would  preserve  his  silence ;  but  in  this 
he  was  mistaken.  The  fact  got  noised  around  and  a  mob 
assembled  at  the  hotel  and  at  first  only  wildly  and  loudJy 
discussed  the  matter;  but  there  are  always  some  in  a  great 
crowd  ready  to  intensify  an  excitement,  and  the  mob 
increasing  to  some  three  thousand,  and  the  police  coming 
by  scores,  which  seemed  to  excite  the  crowd  the  more, 
stones  soon  commenced  to  fly  at  the  windows,  which  were 
soon  all  broken  out,  and  finally  the  house  was  fired,  and 
in  three  hours  from  the  appearance  of  the  first  man  on  the 
ground,  the  whole  was  in  ashes.  Bentley  was  afterwards 
arrested  and  tried  for  the  murder;  was  found  guilty  of 
manslaughter  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  three 
years.  Had  he  at  once  let  the  thing  be  known,  he,  doubt- 
less, would  have  got  off  with  from  three  to  six  months, 
and  saved  his  house  and  business,  where  he  was  making 
his  fortune. 


THE  BALLARAT  WAR.  275 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Ballarat  Rebellion  —  Its  Causes  —  Petitions  to  Govern- 
ment—Police— Troops— Miners  Prepare  for  War— Peter  Lalor 
—  Americans  Protest  —  California  Rangers  —  The  Battle  — 
Miners  Taken  Prisoners  —  Surrender  to  the  Police  —  Im* 
prisonment. 

THE  great  event  of  a  public  nature  in  Australia  was 
the  Ballarat  rebellion,  which,  though  subdued  by 
military  power,  nevertheless  caused  a  revolution  in  the 
affairs  of  the  colonial  government.  Open  expression  of 
dissatisfaction  with  onerous  laws  and  official  oppression 
was  first  made  by  the  miners  at  Bendigo  in  the  latter  part 
of  1853.  Among  the  many  grievances  they  suffered  and 
of  which  they  complained  were,  that  every  miner,  and,  in 
fact,  every  man  on  the  diggings,  was  compelled  to  pay  a 
monthly  license  to  the  government  of  thirty  shillings,  or 
seven  dollars  and  a  half  of  our  money;  that  licenses  were 
issued  on  common  paper  which  the  holder  was  obliged  to 
carry  upon  his  person  and  produce  it  as  often  as  called 
upon  by  the  authorities  to  do  so,  no  matter  if  it  was  a 
dozen  times  a  day.  The  digger  carrying  it  constantly  upon 
his  person  at  work,  it  would  become  worn  out  before  half 
the  term  had  expired,  and  then  his  only  course  would  be 


276  miners'  grievances. 

to  hasten  and  purchase  another,  or  otherwise  run  the  risk 
of  being  arrested  and  imprisoned  by  being  tied  to  a  tree, 
and  fined  by  the  authorities.  The  diggings  by  this  time 
had  become  so  densely  populated  that  they  were  paying 
over  half  of  the  revenue;  besides,  they  had  no  one  to  repre- 
sent their  case  in  parliament  or  any  branch  of  the  colonial 
government. 

The  portion  of  the  population  called  diggers,  because 
they  followed  mining  or  were  on  the  diggings,  were  totally 
disfranchised,  although  they  possessed  the  most  general 
intelligence  and  some  of  the  best  talent  in  the  colony.  A 
convention  of  miners  and  others  on  the  diggings  met  at 
Bendigo  in  August,  '53,  where  banners  and  mottoes  of  the 
old  revolution  were  displayed,  such  as  "  Taxation  Without 
Representation  is  Robbery,"  etc.  A  deputation  was  sent  to 
Melbourne  to  petition  the  government  to  take  into  con- 
sideration their  case  at  once,  setting  forth  to  that  august 
assembly  how  their  digger  brethren  were  treated  by  their 
officials;  how  they  had  been  chained  to  logs  over  night 
when  they  had  already  complied  with  the  law  and  had 
paid  their  license,  but  the  paper  had  become  obliterated  or 
entirely  worn  out,  and  that  they  were  treated  more  like 
dogs  than  Christian  men.  They  prayed  to  have  the  license 
reduced,  and  also  that  it  be  issued  in  some  form  that  would 
enable  the  holder  to  preserve  it  during  the  full  term. 

This  petition  had  the  desired  effect,  in  part,  the  license 
being  reduced  to  two  pounds  (ten  dollars)  for  three 
months ;  but  there  was  more  difficulty  than  before,  for  the 
license  was  issued  on  the  same  poor  quality  of  paper  and 
for  just  three  times  the  length,  or  for  nine  months  for 


?77 


278  OFFICIAL  OPPRESSION. 

thirty  dollars,  and  the  government  was  more  stringent, 
if  possible,  in  enforcing  the  law  than  before.  Things  went 
on  in  this  way  from  bad  to  worse,  until  the  last  straw 
that  broke  the  camel's  back  was  put  on,  which,  had  they 
fed  the  straw  to  the  camel,  it  might  have  enabled  him  to 
bear  his  burden  a  little  longer,  and  the  lives  of  many  lost 
intheBallarat  war  might  have  been  spared;  but  the  revolt 
was  to  come,  and  it  did  come  at  last. 

A  new  commissioner  arrived  at  Ballarat  who  was 
determined  to  enforce  the  obnoxious  laws  at  all  hazards. 
His  name  was  Harrison  or  Hamilton,  I  have  forgotten 
which,  and  he  used  to  send  out  the  police  or  government 
detectives  early  in  the  morning,  escorted  by  a  body  of 
mounted  troops,  so  that  if  any  unfortunate  who  had  no 
license  should  attempt  to  escape,  the  troops  could  run  him 
down  as  they  would  a  fox.  But  the  diggers  were  awake 
to  the  occasion,  and  no  sooner  did  the  troops  made  their 
appearance  coming  down  the  hill  than  the  diggers  would 
pass  the  peculiar  watch-word,  "Jo,"  along  the  line  for 
miles.  The  first  miner  would  strike  the  note  and  it  would 
pass  from  man  to  man  to  the  remotest  digger  in  the  gulch, 
faster  than  a  steam-car  would  travel,  and  consequently 
there  was  no  show  for  the  troops  or  squad  of  detectives, 
for  all  those  who  had  no  license  would  have  plenty  of  time 
to  get  down  into  their  holes.  Finally  the  officials  deter- 
mined to  examine  the  holes  and  shafts  by  entering  them, 
but  it  was  not  a  pleasant  job,  and  few  of  the  petty  officials 
had  the  courage  to  go  down.  In  one  instance  a  digger 
was  killed  in  Reed's  Creek,  near  Beechworth.  The  officer 
was  going  down  into  a  claim  and  carrying  his  gun,  which 


THE  WAR   BEGUN.  279 

such  detective  police  were  allowed  to  carry,  when  by  some 
mishap  he  struck  the  cock  of  the  gun  and  it  went  off,  the 
charge  taking  effect  and  killing  a  poor  fellow  who  was 
looking  on.  The  miners  thereabouts  were  immediately 
aroused  and  the  detective  was  instantly  dispatched. 
Then  a  large  force  of  miners  went  to  the  official  camp  and 
drove  them  off  the  creek  to  Beechworth.  Things  had  got 
to  such  a  pass  there  was  no  standing  it  any  longer,  and 
the  miners  turned  out  en  masse  and  held  a  meeting  at 
Bakery  Hill  and  passed  resolutions  to  that  effect,  built  a 
fire  and  every  man  there  stepped  up  and  put  his  license  in 
the  blaze  and  then  went  home,  having  his  doubts  what 
the  morrow  would  bring  forth.  The  morrow  came,  and 
so  did  the  troops.  They  were  sent  in  double  and  treble 
numbers  to  what  had  ever  before  come  out.  The  diggers 
scuck  to  one  another  and  waited  till  they  undertook  to 
arrest  some  of  the  crowd,  when  they  went  to  the  rescue 
and  turned  upon  the  troops  like  so  many  tigers.  The 
troops  fired  a  volley  over  their  heads,  which  only  added 
fuel  to  the  flames,  and  the  diggers  at  once  came  down  on 
the  troops  with  sticks  and  stones  and  soon  drove  them 
back  to  camp.  The  commissioner  kept  in  the  rear,  out 
of  harm's  way,  and  ordered  the  troops  to  another  charge. 
The  die  was  cast;  the  first  blow  had  been  struck;  there 
was  no  retreat ;  and  the  diggers  met  them  manfully,  and 
for  the  second  time  sent  them  back  to  camp,  more  crest- 
fallen than  before.  War  had  now  begun  in  earnest  be- 
tween the  diggers  on  the  one  hand  and  the  commissioners 
on  the  other;  but  the  government  was  bound  to  take  the 
side  of  the  commissioners,  and  that  the  diggers  well  knew. 


280  GOVERNMENT  ACTIVITY— REBEL  OFFICERS. 

The  thing  now  to  do  was  to  prepare  for  the  worst,  for 
well  they  knew  there  would  be  no  compromise  on  the  part 
of  the  government,  and  as  for  the  diggers,  they  did  not 
ask  it.  The  government  was  not  idle,  and  at  once  com- 
menced to  forward  every  soldier  in  the  Victoria  colony, 
and  sent  to  Sidney  for  more,  and  to  New  Zealand  and 
Tasmania  for  all  the  old  pensioners,  mounted  police,  and 
force  of  every  kind,  horse,  foot  and  dragoons.  In  a  short 
time  every  available  soldier  in  the  Australian  colonies,  and 
all  minor  forces,  with  all  the  cannon  of  Melbourne  and 
Sidney,  were  concentrated  at  Ballarat.  Upon  the  whole, 
things  looked  rather  warlike  on  the  side  of  the  govern- 
ment. The  diggers,  however,  had  not  been  idle,  and  had 
formed  a  camp,  or  stockade,  on  the  hill  where  the  Eureka 
hotel  had  stood,  and  known  as  the  Eureka  stockade. 
They  had  collected  all  the  available  timbers  and  built  up  a 
breastwork,  preparatory  to  a  sudden  attack.  All  work 
in  the  mines  had  been  suspended,  and  every  digger  had 
gathered  all  the  arms  and  ammunition  that  could  be  pro- 
cured. 

There  had  been  word  received  from  the  Castlemain, 
Bendigo  and  Creswick  creek  diggers  that  they  were  com- 
ing to  our  relief.  We  had  the  sympathy  of  the  merchants 
and  traders,  and  all  the  powder  they  had  was  freely  given. 
There  had  been  officers  appointed,  and  all  the  blacksmiths 
were  engaged  making  Irish  pikes.  Peter  Lalor  was 
appointed  leader,  or  first  officer ;  August  Verne,  a  German, 
second ;  and  James  McGill,  third— he  was  an  Irish-Ameri- 
can. There  was  a  young  Canadian  named  Ross,  a  man 
of  force  and  spirit,  who  was  killed.    Thus  far  the  Ameri- 


AMERICANS  IN  COUNCIL.  281 

cans  had  not  taken  an  active  part  in  the  affair,  but  the 
time  had  now  come  when  they  were  compelled  to  act  or 
stand  neutral.  Others  complained  that  we  were  doing 
nothing,  while  it  was  a  matter  of  as  much  interest  to  us 
as  to  them,  and  began  to  accuse  us  of  cowardice.  There- 
fore, a  meeting  of  Americans  was  called  and  held  at  the 
Adelphi  theatre,  to  take  into  consideration  the  subject, 
and  determine  as  to  the  duties  and  obligations  of  the  occa- 
sion. Many  were  enthusiastic  and  desired  to  enlist  in  the 
Digger  army.  As  for  myself,  I  could  not  see  the  necessity 
or  propriety  of  rushing  into  a  revolt  against  government 
authority  until  we  considered  what  it  was  going  to 
amount  to,  and  told  them  we  had  come  to  the  country 
not  very  favorably  impressed  with  the  laws,  but  had 
found  them  quite  as  lenient  as  we  had  expected  to ;  that 
there  was  no  law  compelling  us  to  stay,  and  those  who 
were  dissatisfied  with  the  country  or  its  laws,  had  a  per- 
fect right  to  leave.  I  then  offered  a  resolution  in  sub- 
stance as  follows : 

That  this  meeting  contemplates  the  present  aspect  of 
affairs  between  the  government  and  the  mining  commu- 
nity of  the  colony  of  Victoria  with  feelings  of  the  deepest 
regret.  But  that  we,  as  citizens  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  do  not  consider  it  our  duty  to  take  any 
decisive  part  on  either  side  until  further  events  shall  trans- 
pire ;  therefore,  Resolved,  That  we,  citizens  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  will  take  no  part  in  the  above  men- 
tioned affair,  but  remain  neutral  until  the  developments 
and  necessities  of  the  future  shall  determine  our  duty 
otherwise. 


282  IN  SYMPATHY— COWARDICE. 

The  Americans  that  attended  this  meeting  had  been 
present  at  Bakery  Hill  when  the  licenses  were  burned,  but 
they  had  all  abandoned  work  and  were  in  full  and  hearty 
sympathy  with  the  miners,  though  they  did  not  want  to 
take  any  active  part  until  a  blow  had  been  struck.  We  re- 
garded ourselves  as  foreigners,  and  had  no  right  to  be  fore- 
most in  an  open  outbreak  against  the  government.  This 
meeting  caused  much  hard  feeling  against  the  Americans, 
the  diggers  contending  that  it  was  everyone's  affair,  and 
that  they  fully  depended  on  our  assistance.  We  told  them 
that  if  they  went  on  they  would  have  our  sympathy,  and 
if  they  made  a  stand  they  would  not  find  us  wanting,  but 
we  were  not  going  to  have  it  thrown  upon  our  shoulders 
that  we  were  the  instigators  of  the  outbreak,  which  it 
would  be  if  it  failed,  and  which,  I  ventured  to  add,  it 
would ;  for  which  remark  I  was  called  a  coward.  I  told 
them  time  would  tell,  if  the  trouble  went  on,  whether  or 
not  I  was  a  coward;  that  there  were  those  who  had  not 
yet  participated  in  the  affair  that  would,  when  the  proper 
time  came,  act  as  bravely  as  some  who  were  now  so  en- 
thusiastic. 

This  conversation  was  with  Verne,  the  German,  second 
in  command,  who,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  was  afterwards  the 
first  man  to  run,  and  when  I  asked  him  what,  in  God's 
name,  he  was  running  for,  he  said,  "To  stop  the  rest." 
Lalor  at  last  came  to  the  Americans  and  had  a  talk.  He 
seemed  to  have  more  sense  and  judgment  than  the  rest, 
and  expressed  his  desire  that  we  should  hold  ourselves  in 
readiness,  for  he  had  no  doubt  when  the  time  came  and 
we  were  wanted,  we  would  respond  with  alacrity.    After 


LALOR  RELIANCE— THE  ATTACK.  283 

this  interview,  we  formed  ourselves  into  a  company,  calling 
ourselves  the  California  Rangers,  and  drilled  as  such,  with 
the  distinct  understanding  that  we  were  independent  of  the 
others,  and  not  in  the  least  under  their  control,  but  fully 
determined  when  the  time  came  it  should  never  be  said 
that  the  California  Rangers  were  measured  and  found 
wanting.  Many  of  our  men  were  old  Mexican  soldiers  of 
'46-'47.  Anyone  was  allowed  in  the  camp  or  stockade 
who  wished  to  visit  it,  and  the  consequence  was  that  the 
government  sent  in  spies  who  kept  the  enemy  posted  in 
every  move  of  the  diggers.  Word  came  that  the  cannon 
were  coming  which  the  government  had  ordered  from  Mel- 
bourne. This  was  a  move  of  the  government  to  induce  the 
diggers  to  send  out  a  party  to  intercept  them,  under  the 
idea  of  thus  weakening  the  government  force.  The  diggers 
took  the  bait,  and  McGill  was  sent  out  on  the  second  of 
December  for  that  purpose.  He  took  with  him  three  hun- 
dred of  the  best  armed  men,  and  all  picked  men.  The 
arms  of  the  diggers  were  of  course  inferior,  being  only 
just  what  could  be  obtained  in  the  mining  districts.  News 
wras  received  from  Castlemain  and  Bendigo  that  reinforce- 
ments might  be  expected  in  twenty-four  hours,  which  had 
the  effect  to  put  every  digger  in  high  spirits.  Word  was 
expected  to  come  the  next  morning  from  McGill  that  he 
had  captured  the  cannon.  They  were  constantly  hearing 
news  from  the  government  forces,  and  that  they  were  very 
much  dispirited,  therefore  an  attack  from  them  was  not 
expected.  However,  on  the  morning  of  December  3, 1854,  at 
the  early  hour  of  three,  it  being  Sunday,  and  a  great  num- 
ber at  home  asleep  in  bed,  never  so  much  as  dreaming  of 


284  to  arms!  rangers  to  the  front! 

an  attack,  the  enemy  marched  out  of  their  camp,  one 
thousand  regulars  of  the  Twelfth  and  Fortieth  regiments, 
together  with  fifteen  hundred  troopers,  and  moved  directly 
toward  the  stockade. 

Word  had  come  into  our  camp  about  one  o'clock  of  the 
same  morning  that  some  arms  and  ammunition  were 
secreted  in  a  house  on  Bakery  hill,  and  I  was  sent  with 
a  detachment  of  men  to  seize  it.  On  our  way  out  we 
took  two  men  we  suspected  as  spies,  and  the  two  men 
that  had  given  the  information  about  the  arms,  who 
were  with  us  to  direct  us  to  the  house,  manifested  so  much 
uneasiness  I  had  suspicion  of  them  and  put  them  under 
arrest  also,  and  leaving  them  behind,  under  guard,  took 
six  men  and  went  on  myself  to  make  the  search.  Just 
as  I  arrived  at  Bakery  hill,  we  saw  the  whole  bod}'  of 
troops  ascending  the  hill.  We  immediately  went  back  to 
the  party  we  had  left,  and  determined  to  make  our  way 
back  to  the  stockade  and  report  what  we  had  seen.  We 
had  barely  arrived  there  when  the  pickets  came  running 
in  with  the  information  that  the  enemy  were  upon  us. 
The  alarm  was  sounded ' '  To  Arms  I"  I  had  arrived  not  one 
minute  too  soon.  Had  I  been  but  a  moment  later  I  should 
have  been  shut  out,  for  the  stockade  was  in  a  brief  time 
surrounded.  They  had  come  down  on  us  just  as  the  light 
of  day  was  breaking  in  the  east.  We  were  formed  in  line, 
and  the  first  order  receivedwas,"C  alifornia  Rangers  to 
the  front!"  The  Fortieth  regiment  was  advancing,  but 
had  not  as  yet  discharged  a  shot.  We  could  now  see 
plainly  the  officer  and  hear  his  orders,  when  one  of  our 
men,  Captain  Burnette,  stepped  a  little  in  front,  elevated 


THE   BATTLE.  285 

his  rifle,  took  aim  and  fired.  The  officer  fell.  Captain 
Wise  was  his  name.  This  was  the  first  shot  in  the  Bal- 
larat  war.  It  was  said  by  many  that  the  soldiers  fired 
the  first  shot,  but  that  is  not  true,  as  is  well  known  to 
many.  W.  R.  Hall,  now  living  at  Sidney,  was  standing 
alongside  of  me  and  next  to  Burnette  when  he  fired  the 
shot  that  killed  Captain  Wise.  No  sooner  did  that  officer 
fall  than  the  soldiers  were  ordered  to  fire  on  us,  which 
they  did,  and  then  charged.  The  fire  had  a  terrible  effect, 
but  we  returned  it  with  like  effect,  as  deadly  as  theirs. 
Just  at  this  time,  when  the  splinters  from  the  timbers  of 
the  breastwork  were  flying  the  thickest,  Verne  came  run- 
ning past.  I  asked  him  what  he  was  running  for.  "To 
stop  the  others,"  was  his  reply.  I  had  my  own  opinion 
about  it.  It  was  now  the  most  exciting  time  I  had  ever 
witnessed.  It  was  a  hand  to  hand  fight.  The  soldiers 
were  in  among  us.  Lalor  was  shot  in  the  arm,  and  Hull 
pulled  off  his  necktie  and  we  wound  that  around  it.  He 
was  bleeding  profusely  and  before  we  were  through  had 
fainted  from  loss  of  blood.  We  put  him  in  a  shallow  hole 
and  covered  it  over  with  some  slabs.  I  lost  sight  of 
Walter  during  the  fight,  and  he  afterwards  told  me  that 
he  saw  the  day  was  lost,  jumped  the  stockade  and  made 
his  escape.  I  was  near  poor  Ross,  and  he  said,  "Charlie 
it  is  no  use,  the  men  have  all  left  us,"  and  the  next  instant 
he  said,  " My  God,  I  am  shot,"  and  fell.  Before  I  had  time 
to  look  and  see  how  badly  he  was  hurt,  a  soldier  demanded 
my  surrender,  to  which  I  politely  answered  that  I  would 
see  him  dam'd  first,  and  made  my  first  attempt  to  escape. 
In  the  excitement  I  had  not  missed  the  rest,  and  upon 


286  PRISONERS  OF  WAR. 

looking  around  discovered  that  I  was  almost  alone.  It 
was  said  that  Ross  was  shot  after  he  had  surrendered, 
but  that  was  not  so.  As  I  jumped  the  stockade  I  fell, 
and  the  soldier  who  had  demanded  my  surrender  fired,  and 
the  ball  passed  through  my  hat.  The  fall  resulted  in  mak- 
ing me  a  prisoner.  I  was  not  long,  however,  in  getting 
onto  my  feet,  but  found  a  party  of  troopers  had  headed 
me  off  in  that  direction.  Turning  I  jumped  back  into  the 
stockade,  but  was  there  met  by  any  number  of  soldiers. 
I  attempted  to  rush  through,  but  was  seized  upon  by 
several  and  we  had  it  rough  and  tumble  for  a  few  brief 
seconds,  and  I  finally  got  through  and  struck  for  another 
place  to  make  my  escape.  The  soldiers  had  been  ordered 
to  cease  firing,  but  the  police  kept  it  up  when  they  saw 
a  poor  fellow  trying  his  best  to  get  away.  It  had  now 
become  impossible  for  me  to  escape,  as  I  had  again  been 
headed  off,  and  seeing  Captain  Carter  of  the  police,  I  ran 
to  him  and  surrendered.  I  had  only  one  thought  for  self- 
congratulation,  and  that  was  that  the  soldiers  did  not 
take  me. 

There  was  an  American,  James  Brown,  who  had  been  a 
man-of-war's  man;  he  jumped  onto  a  rope  and  slid  down  a 
hole  over  a  hundred  feet  deep,  and  afterwards  climbed  the 
rope.  He  was  an  expert  on  a  rope— could  go  hand  over 
hand  till  he  was  tired,  then  hold  himself  by  his  feet  till  he 
had  rested  his  arms  and  then  climb  again.  He  afterwards 
told  me  he  believed  he  was  two  hours  climbing  out  of  that 
hole.  They  took  one  hundred  and  fifteen  prisoners.  A 
poor  woman  came  running  out  in  her  night  dress  and 
begged  of  them  to  give  her  her  husband,  but  she  was  only 


THE  GHASTLY  SCENE.  287 

pushed  around  roughly  by  the  soldiers,  when  at  last  the 
commanding  officer  rode  up  and  ordered  them  to  deliver 
to  the  woman  her  husband.  That  was  a  manly  officer. 
The  woman  was  Mrs.  John  Tye,  who,  with  her  husband, 
is  still  living  (1887)  and  keeps  a  hotel  in  the  city  of  Sidney. 
While  standing  on  the  field  with  Captain  Carter  I  was 
enabled  to  observe  the  ghastly  scene.  The  morning  sun 
was  just  rising  and  spreading  its  light  over  the  forms  of 
dead  and  wounded  men,  who,  but  a  few  minutes  before, 
were  in  full  health  and  manly  vigor,  but  now  many  lay  in 
their  long,  last  sleep,  and  others  moaning  in  their  pain, 
some  only  for  a  brief  time,  for  death  was  sure  to  come  to 
their  relief.  Prisoners  were  frightened  out  of  their  senses 
and  asking  the  soldiers  what  would  be  done  with  them 
the  consoling  answer  was,  "  Why,  hung,  of  course.' 
Some  who  were  the  most  frightened  were  the  bravest  only 
a  few  hours  before ;  others  were  sullen  and  said  nothing. 
The  whole  of  them  were  subjected  to  a  thorough  search  by 
the  soldiers— robbed  rather,  for  all  the  money  they  found 
on  a  prisoner  I  noticed  they  put  in  their  own  pockets. 
When  I  surrendered  I  had  upon  me  a  Colt's  revolver  and  a 
bowie-knife.  These  I  slipped  down  my  trousers'  leg  and 
kicked  them  out  on  the  ground.  I  had,  besides,  some  fifty 
dollars  in  money,  which  I  put  in  the  lining  of  my  hat  and 
they  did  not  get  it.  After  they  had  taken  all  the  prisoners 
they  could  get,  we  were  marched  to  headquarters.  Here 
again  we  were  searched  by  the  authorities,  and  those  on 
whom  arms  were  found  were  listed  as  such.  Then  I 
rejoiced  that  I  had  rid  myself  of  my  revolver  and  knife. 


288 


CHAPTER  XX. 

In  Jail — Ragged  and  Bloody— The  Only  American  Prisoner  of  War 
—Friends  — An  Editor  in  Limbo— Wooden  and  Nichols  Arrive— 
Charge  of  High  Treason  — Preparation  for  Trial— Trial  and 
Acquittal— Rejoicing  of  Friends— Jealousy— Partiality  Towards 
the  Young  American— United  States  Consul— Interview  with 
the  Governor— Peace  Restored— Diggings  Resumed. 

THE  prisoners  were  then  confined  in  a  log-jail,  so 
crowded  that  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  one  to 
sit  or  lie  down.  I  soon  found  myself  in  a  painful  condition, 
physically;  my  face  had  become  greatly  swollen  from  blows 
and  bruises  in  the  struggle  with  the  soldiers,  for  there  was 
some  pretty  rough  handling  on  both  sides.  My  clothes 
were  torn  and  completely  besmeared  with  blood.  Cer- 
tainly I  felt  I  was  not,  either  in  countenance  or  apparel, 
in  condition  to  be  presented  at  court — either  of  her 
majesty's  of  England,  or  even  that  of  the  governor  of  the 
colony  of  Victoria.  And  now  I  was  left  to  reflect  on  the 
prophetic  wisdom  of  my  grandmother.  When  that  vener- 
able old  lady  and  myself  had  a  little  misunderstanding, 
she  would  forewarn  my  mother  of  the  ultimate  destiny 
of  her  child— "  Depend  upon  it,  Ann,  that  boy  is  born  for 
the  gallows!"  And,  sure  enough,  here  I  was,  with  that 
fatal  instrument    apparently  close  at  hand.    Being   the 


VISITED  IN  JAIL.  289 

only  American  taken  prisoner,  I  regarded  that  circum- 
stance as  unfortunate,  as  they  must  of  necessity  hang  me 
as  an  example  to  my  countrymen.  Well,  I  made  up  my 
mind  if  I  was  to  be  an  example  I  would  be  a  good  one — 
one  that  others  might  pattern  by,  for  I  was  disgusted 
with  the  sniveling  of  many  of  my  fellow-prisoners. 

I  had  not  been  in  jail  more  than  two  hours  when  the 
door  was  opened  and  my  name  was  called.  I  wondered  if 
they  were  going  to  make  such  short  work  of  me  as  that, 
but  I  thought  if  so,  the  sooner  the  better,  as  I  would  not 
have  so  much  time  to  dread  it.  I  stepped  forward  and 
asked,  in  an  apparently  careless  and  indifferent  manner, 
what  they  wanted.  Judge  of  my  surprise  when  H.  G. 
Nichols,  of  the  house  of  Moody,  Nichols  &  Smith,  came 
forward  and  told  me  he  had  come  to  see  me  and  let  me 
know  that  my  friends  would  do  everything  in  their  power 
for  me,  and  that  Walter  and  Tom  were  safe  and  not  hurt. 
That  was  a  great  relief,  for  had  they  been  my  own  broth- 
ers I  could  not  have  felt  more  anxious  about  them.  He 
soon  left,  telling  me  he  would  be  back,  that  he  had  got 
permission  to  bring  me  food  and  some  clothes;  and  not 
long  after  returned  with  my  dinner  and  a  suit  of  clothes 
which  I  very  much  needed.  We  were  kept  huddled  together 
in  jail  until  the  next  morning,  when  Nichols  came  again 
and  told  me  he  had  spoken  to  the  authorities  and  that  I 
would  soon  be  moved  into  the  soldiers'  barracks,  and 
that  day  I  was  so  removed,  along  with  about  sixty  others. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  they  brought  in  the  editor  of  the 
Ballarat  Times  and  chained  him  to  me.  This  was  the  first 
of  the  chaining  process.    He  told  me  he  had  been  arrested 

/&      - 


290  FRIENDS  BRING  NEWS. 

that  morning  for  writing  treasonable  articles  in  his  paper. 
I  felt  for  the  poor  man,  for  he  was  in  delicate  health  and 
seemed  to  take  the  matter  very  hard.  His  mind  dwelt  on 
the  very  blackest  side  possible.  I  inquired  of  him  what 
he  thought  they  would  do  with  us.  He  seemed  to  think 
they  would  go  to  the  very  extreme.  The  government,  he 
said,  had  shown  no  mercy  before  and  there  was  none  to 
be  expected— at  least  he  expected  none— if  we  got  any  he 
should  be  surprised. 

That  evening  Nichols  and  E.  S.  Wooden  arrived  to  see 
me.  Wooden  had  heard  of  my  arrest  only  that  morning 
in  Melbourne,  and  had  rode  that  day  a  distance  of  eighty 
miles.  He  was  very  much  excited  over  my  arrest,  and 
assured  me  that  nothing  would  be  left  undone  that  could 
be  done  for  me.  Nichols  told  me  that  Walter  and  Tom 
wished  him  to  tell  me  that  the  reason  they  did  not  come 
to  me  was  because  they  dared  not,  and  to  assure  me  that 
there  would  be  no  expense  too  great  to  procure  my  release. 
They  left,  promising  to  come  as  often  as  possible,  which 
they  did  nearly  every  day.  They  informed  me  that  Ross 
died  of  his  wounds,  but  that  Lalor  was  safe ;  that  the 
government  had  offered  a  re  ward  of  a  thousand  pounds  for 
him— " But,"  said  he,  "they  might  offer  twenty  thousand, 
and  then  not  get  him."  I  knew  by  that  that  they  knew  he 
was  safe,  and  looks  sometimes  speak  louder  than  words. 
He  said  that  his  arm  had  to  be  amputated,  that  Dr.  Carr, 
who  afterwards  died  in  the  lunatic  asylum  at  Kew,  and 
Dr.  Kinsworthy,  an  American,  formerly  surgeon  at  Black- 
well's  Island,  performed  the  operation.  The  character  and 
merits  of  a  cause,  and  especially  the  cause  of  the  miners  in 


PREPARING   FOR  TRIAL.  291 

the  Ballarat  rebellion,  may  be  judged  of  in  no  small  degree 
correctly  by  the  character  of  its  leader ;  and  the  public  es- 
timate of  Peter  Lalor  in  Australia  may  be  correctly  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that  so  recently  as  1885  he  was  speaker 
of  the  colonial  parliament  of  Victoria.  When  they  came 
again,  Dr.  Kinsworthy  came  with  them  and  went  through 
a  pretended  medical  examination  of  me  and  led  the  author- 
ities to  understand  that  he  had  been  treating  me  for  some 
time  and  that  this  was  a  professional  call.  I  took  the  hint 
without  being  told,  but  was  afraid  Wooden  would  let  the 
Cat  out  through  his  own  anxiety,  zeal  and  nervous  ex- 
citability. 

Days  rolled  on  rather  slowly  till  a  week  was  measured — 
the  longest  wreek  I  then  thought  I  had  ever  spent.  At  last 
I  was  told  the  trial  of  prisoners  wrould  commence  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days,  and  that  we  were  to  be  placed  upon 
trial  under  the  charge  of  high  treason  against  her  majesty's 
government.  The  day  came,  and  some  were  tried  in  squads 
of  sixes  and  sevens.  The  day  before  I  was  tried,  Nichols 
and  Wooden  came.  The  old  man  looked  so  pleased  I  knew 
he  thought  he  had  good  news  for  me.  When  he  got  a 
chance  he  whispered  that  he  would  "  square  it  all  right." 
Mr.  Hacket  and  Captain  Carter  were  with  them.  Before 
Hacket  left,  he  told  me  in  a  friendly  way  that  it  would  be 
necessary  for  me  to  have  a  statement  of  how  I  came  to  be 
within  the  Eureka  stockade  at  the  time  of  the  engagement. 
I  was  ready  for  that,  having  already  prepared  one. 
Nichols  spoke  up  and  said,  "We  can  rely  on  Ferguson  to 
explain  how  he  came  to  be  there."  This  gave  me  the  cue 
to  work  on,  although  nothing  more  had  been  said.    Then 


292  BLACK  SUIT  AND  LOUD  HAT. 

Dr.  Kinsworthy  called  professionally,  and  conversed  with 
me  about  his  former  treatment  and  what  he  would  have 
to  do  after  he  had  given  his  present  treatment  another 
month's  trial.  Now  this  settled  all  queries  in  my  mind, 
and,  strange  to  say,  it  was  the  same  scheme  I  had  planned 
before  getting  my  cue  from  the  doctor.  We  were  taken 
out  in  squads  and  walked  around  to  be  identified.  There 
were  three  or  four  that  had  identified  me  during  the  first 
four  days  I  was  there,  but  of  late  I  had  not  been  taken 
out.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  the  session  of 
court  I  was  informed  that  my  case  would  be  heard  that 

day. 

Nichols  and  Wooden  came  as  usual,  and  this  time  with  a 
new  suit  of  clothes.  The  old  man  whispered  to  me  not  to 
put  them  on  until  the  last  moment  before  I  was  to  be 
taken  before  the  tribunal.  Soon  I  was  ordered  to  get 
ready  to  go  out  for  identification,  and  now  I  dressed 
myself  in  a  long  black  suit  and  a  loud  silk  hat,  and  looked 
more  like  a  Methodist  minister  than  a  Ballarat  digger. 
This  time  when  taken  out  I  was  not  handcuffed  to  anyone. 
Four  others  were  taken  out  handcuffed  together.  I  was 
allowed  to  walk  along  with  Captain  Carter  and  another 
man,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten.  The  soldiers  and 
polke  were  called  and  asked  if  they  identified  any  of  the 
prisoners.  They  never  looked  at  me,  and  none  of  the 
others  were  recognized.  Captain  Carter  asked  each  of  his 
men  the  same  question  and  all  answered  "no."  The  cap- 
tain turned  to  me  and  seemed  to  look  pleased,  and  said, 
"  These  are  the  men  that  thought  they  knew  you."  I  was 
now  conducted  into  court  without  further  ceremony  and 


THE  TRIAL.  293 

soon  my  trial  commenced.  The  first  witness  was  Mr. 
Hacket,  who  testified  to  seeing  me  come  to  Captain  Car- 
ter and  surrender  myself  a  prisoner ;  that  he  saw  no  fire- 
arms on  me.  Captain  Carter  testified  to  my  surrender  to 
him,  and  that  he  saw  no  fire-arms,  and  there  were  no  fire- 
arms on  me  when  searched  on  the  field.  This  was  all  the 
testimony  for  the  prosecution,  when  the  bench  announced 
that  it  wras  necessary  for  the  prisoner  to  explain  to  the 
court  how  he  happened  to  be  there.  Just  as  I  was  about 
to  explain,  a  soldier  of  the  Fortieth,  who  had  been  in 
court  during  the  prosecution,  stepped  forward  and  in- 
formed the  court  that  he  recognized  the  prisoner,  and  he 
was  ordered  to  take  the  witness  stand.  He  testified  that 
he  saw  me  in  the  stockade  on  the  morning  of  the  third; 
that  he  saw  me  in  the  act  of  loading  a  pistol;  that  he  called 
upon  me  to  surrender ;  that  I  answered  him  that  I  would 
see  him  damned  first  and  jumped  the  stockade;  that  he  fired 
and  I  fell,  and  he  supposed  he  had  killed  me,  as  he  had  seen 
nothing  more  of  me  from  that  time  until  the  present 
moment.  I  was  asked  if  I  desired  to  question  the  witness. 
I  answered  that  I  did,  and  was  granted  the  privilege. 

I  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  me  before  that  time. 

"No,  not  that  I  know  of." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  me  since  ?" 

"No." 

"  What  time  in  the  morning  was  it  ?" 

"Just  after  daylight." 

"What  distance  was  you  from  me  when  you  demanded 
my  surrender?" 

"About  sixty  feet." 


294  PRISONER  DISCHARGED. 

"  Could  you  swear  positively  to  the  identity  of  a  person 
youhad  not  seen  fortendays  and  neverto  your  knowledge 
had  seen  before  that  time?" 

"I  think  I  could  identify  him." 

"Are  you  positive  I  am  the  man  you  shot  at,  yes  or  no?" 

"  I  think  so." 

I  still  claimed  a  positive  answer,  "yes  "  or  "no." 

He  would  not  give  a  positive  answer. 

"  What  sort  of  clothes  did  I  have  on  ?" 

"I  can  not  tell." 

I  then  recalled  Mr.  Hacket,  who  at  once  said  that  I  wore 
a  drab  suit. 

The  court  then  asked  me  to  explain  how  I  happened  to 
be  there.  I  complied  by  stating  that  curiosity  took  me 
there;  that  I  had  for  a  long  time  been  sick  and  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Kinsworthy ;  that  the  evening  before  I  had 
walked  to  the  Eureka  stockade  with  that  gentleman 
(which  was  true);  that  we  had  lingered  there  longer  than 
we  had  expected,  and  being  acquainted  with  Mr.  Ross,  and 
he  knowing  that  I  was  in  bad  health,  had  kindly  offered 
me  his  bed,  which  I  accepted ;  that  I  went  to  bed  and  slept 
soundly,  was  awakened  by  the  firing,  got  up  and  dressed 
in  haste,  but  by  this  time  it  was  impossible  to  make  my 
escape,  and  that  deeming  it  the  proper  course  for  me  to 
pursue  under  the  embarrassments  of  my  situation,  I  sought 
for  Captain  Carter  and  surrendered  myself  to  him. 

The  court  at  once  said— "The  prisoner  is  discharged." 

No  sooner  had  the  court  said  those  words  than  I  was 
picked  up  and  carried  out,  and  as  soon  as  outside  was 
raised  to  men's  shoulders  and  never  touched  the  ground 


REJOICINGS.  295 

again  until  we  arrived  at  the  George  hotel.  There  I  was 
deposited  behind  the  bar,  and  turning  around  I  at  once 
set  down  the  bottles,  and  the  crowd  helped  themselves. 
Upon  asking  Mr.  Howe,  the  proprietor,  what  the  charge 
was,  he  replied, ' '  Not  a  cent — only  you  must  drink  with  me." 
So  all  hands  had  a  second  drink.  Just  at  this  moment 
Nichols  and  Wooden  arrived  with  a  troop  of  witnesses, 
but  only  in  time  to  participate  in  the  general  rejoicing  at 
my  discharge.  Wooden,  in  his  zeal  in  my  behalf,  had  in- 
spired manv  to  come  who  knew  nothing  of  the  facts  in  my 
case,  and  Dr.  Kins  worthy  asked  him  what  he  had  expected 
his  crowd  of  witnesses  could  swear  to,  especially  those  he 
had  brought  from  a  great  distance  from  the  scene  of  the 
battle.  "Swear?"  said  Wooden,  "why  swear  he  wasn't 
there — swear  a  leg  off  an  iron  pot — swear  to  anything  to 
save  that  boy  from  the  gallows !" 

The  doctor  gently  suggested  to  him  that  such  testimony 
would  be  likely  to  do  me  hurt  rather  than  good.  But  the 
old  man,  in  his  overwrought  anxiety  for  me,  did  not  take 
the  doctor's  words  kindly,  but  sharply  advised  the  doctor 
to  go  right  straight  to  the  hot  country,  saying,  "Hurt 
him!  we  want  no  witnesses  that  can't  do  Charlie  good." 
Had  the  kind  and  zealous  old  man  been  allowed  to  go  on 
in  his  own  way  he  would  most  likely  have  injured  me,  but 
Nichols  was  more  cool  and  considerate  and  managed  more 
prudently;  in  fact,  all  my  friends  did  well.  Walter  and 
Tom  dare  not  show  up,  but  were  as  anxious  and  willing  as 
any.  Wooden  drank  my  health,  his  own,  Nichols',  every- 
body's— except  the  British  government's — until  he  said 
the  next  day  he  had  had  a  sunstroke.    I  think  it  must 


296  JOURNALISTIC  EXPRESSIONS. 

have  been  something  like  that,  for  no  one  ever  saw  him  the- 
worse  for  liquor  before.  The  trial  of  the  other  prisoners 
lasted  for  some  days.  Most  of  those  taken  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  affair,  but  had  merely  run  out  of  their  huts 
on  hearing  the  firing  and  were  scooped  by  the  police  and 
troops.  Walter  had  a  narrow,  escape.  He  was  pursued 
by  the  police  for  two  miles,  and  finally  dodged  them  in  a 
gully.  Many  left  the  place  until  the  excitement  abated.  I 
think  there  were  only  nine  in  all  that  were  sent  to  Mel- 
bourne as  state  prisoners  to  be  tried  for  high  treason, 
among  whom  was  the  editor  of  the  Ballarat  Times.  The 
sympathy  of  the  whole  colony  was  aroused  in  their  behalf. 
The  papers  took  up  the  matter  more  earnestly  than  before, 
censuring  the  government  and  all  its  officials.  They  ac- 
cused those  gentlemen  of  receiving  bribes,  and  of  official 
partiality,  dwelling  largely  upon  the  case  of  the  young 
American  who,  they  said,  was  not  in  prison  with  the  rest 
because  he  had  friends  and  money;  that  had  the  others. 
been  supplied  in  the  same  manner  as  I  had  been  they  also 
would  have  been  at  liberty,  but  I  was  a  foreigner,  and  be- 
ing such,  could  come  here  and  attempt  to  overthrow  the 
government,  and  when  arrested  could  buy  my  way  out 
of  prison  and  be  free,  while  a  British  subject  must  lie  im- 
prisoned— that  was  colonial  justice !  So  much  was  said 
in  the  papers  of  like  tenor  that  my  friends  began  to  feel 
uneasy  as  to  whether  I  was  even  yet  safe,  and  insisted 
that  I  should  keep  out  of  the  way  for  awhile  and  see  how 
things  might  turn. 

The  subject  was  talked  over  as  to  the  safest  place  for  me, 
and  the  conclusion  was  Melbourne.    If  they  wanted  me, 


FLINDER'S    LANE— MELBOURNE. 


297 


298  MEETING   THE  GOVERNOR. 

that  was  the  last  place  they  would  think  of  looking, 
so  I  was  packed  off  to  that  city  until  more  quiet  times. 
I  was  sent  there  with  letters  to  James  M.  Tarlton,  the 
American  consul,  a  Massachusetts  man  and  a  thorough- 
bred Yankee,  and  as  good  and  kind-hearted  a  man  as  ever 
lived.  Many  of  the  American  boys  will  remember  "  Uncle 
Jimmy."  He  was  a  personal  friend  of  the  governor,  Sir 
Charles  Hothan,  who  had  held  high  position  in  the 
British  navy,  and  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Nile  under  Nel- 
son. Our  consul  said  he  would  see  the  governor  and  lay 
my  case  before  him,  and  I  waited  one  day  very  anxious 
as  to  the  result  of  his  visit.  When  at  last  he  returned, 
he  told  me  the  governor  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  this 
young  American  there  was  so  much  talk  about,  and  he 
had  made  an  appointment  for  me  to  meet  him  the  next 
day.  Would  I  go?  Certainly,  if  it  was  the  governor's 
pleasure  and  request;  and  we  went.  That  morning  there 
was  an  editorial  in  the  Daily  Age,  the  burden  of  which 
was  that  the  young  American  was  supposed  to  have  left 
the  colonies;  that  Captain  McMahan  had  found  that 
the  people  would  not  stand  such  mockery;  that  while  a 
foreigner  was  allowed  his  1  berty,  the  countryman  had 
to  lie  in  jail,  and  that  the  captain  had  notified  me  that  he 
would  be  compelled  to  arrest  me  again,  and  th  at  I  had 
taken  the  hint  and  left  for  parts  unknown. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  governor's,  his  excellency  expressed 
his  surprise  at  seeing  in  me  a  beardless  boy,  when  he  had 
expected  to  see  one  far  different,  of  stalwart  and  manly  ap- 
pearance. He  conversed  freely  and  asked  me  a  great  many 
questions  about  my  former  life,  and  also  about  the  mining 


REPLIES  TO  THE  PRESS.  299 

districts  and  the  diggers,  and  about  the  present  troubles 
and  the  causes  thereof,  all  of  which  I  answered  to  the 
best  of  my  ability.-  He  was  a  person  of  that  quiet  and 
pleasant  grace  of  manner  that  one  would  soon  feel  at 
perfect  ease  with,  notwithstanding  his  high  official  posi- 
tion. He  was  rather  under  size  in  stature,  quick  spoken, 
with  rather  a  subdued  tone  of  voice.  After  many  other 
questions,  he  asked  me  if  I  was  not  afraid  to  come  there 
and  see  him.  How  did  I  know  but  he  would  turn  around 
and  give  me  in  charge  for  treason?  I  answered  him 
promptly,  no ;  he  had  expressed  a  wish  to  see  me  and  I 
had  no  fear  of  his  having  me  arrested ;  I  had  no  fear  of 
treachery  or  bad  faith  in  one  of  whose  heroic  deeds  at 
Aboukir  and  Trafalgar  all  England  was  proud  to  boast. 
Such  an  answer  seemed  to  be  unexpected  to  him,  and 
touched  his  heart.  He  laid  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder 
and  said,  "Go  about  your  business,  boy,  you  shall  not 
be  hurt."  Believe  me,  I  went,  and  that  too  with  a 
mighty  heavy  load  off  my  mind,  which  I  had  carried  "or 
the  few  days  last  past.  It  was  not  the  fear  of  punish- 
ment, but  the  thought  of  lingering  in  prison.  I  had  had 
enough  of  that. 

The  first  thing  I  did  after  leaving  the  governor  was  to 
write  to  the  Age,  contradicting  its  morning  article,  telling 
them  that  I  never  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Captain  Mc- 
Mahan,  nor  did  I  know  if  that  gentleman  knew  of  the 
existence  of  any  such  person  as  myself;  that  I  had  not 
left  the  country,  did  not  intend  doing  so;  that  I  was 
now  here  in  Melbourne  expecting  soon  to  return 
to    Ballarat,   and  could  there  be    found    following    my 


300  MINING  LAWS. 

daily  occupation  as  a  miner;  that  I  had  had  one  exam- 
ination and  been  acquitted,  but  if  the  government 
was  not  satisfied,  I  was  willing  to  surrender  myself 
for  another  examination,  and  that  the  public  jour- 
nals were  at  liberty  to  scrape  up  all  the  evidence  they 
could  against  me,  if  they  felt  so  disturbed  over  my 
release. 

This  settled  all  the  newspaper  scribbling  about  my  case. 
All  this  newspaper  criticism,  however,  was  only  to  create 
sympathy  for  the  prisoners.  Had  I  been  among  them 
they  would  have  blown  their  horn  as  loudly  for  me  as  for 
the  others.  The  word  "Jo,"  was  now  no  longer  heard  by 
the  police,  for  there  were  no  more  officials  dogging  the 
diggers  for  license  since  the  war.  The  government  had 
withdrawn  them  and  consequently  there  was  no  more  Jo- 
ing  the  police,  and  it  was  said  that  Jo  was  dead. 

The  diggings  had  been  entirely  abandoned  for  over  a 
month,  and  the  shafts  were  all  filled  with  water,  which  it 
would  take  at  least  three  months  to  bail  out,  so  all  was 
yet  at  a  dead  stand-still.  Parliament  soon  passed  an  act 
regulating  the  mines  and  establishing  district  courts,  the 
members  of  which  were  to  be  elected  from  among  the  miners, 
called  the  " Court  of  Mines."  There  were  five  districts— 
Ballarat;  Bendigo,  Castlemain,  Meriborough  and  Beech- 
worth;  five  members  composed  each  court,  with  authority 
to  make  local  rules  having  the  effect  of  laws  to  suit  their 
respective  districts.  Licenses  thereafter  were  to  be  issued 
on  parchment,  and  so  the  revolt  had  already  begun  to 
bear  the  desired  fruit.    A  new  constitution  was  in  contem- 


MINERS   ENFRANCHISED.  301 

plation,  enfranchising  the  mining  population  and  enabling 
them  to  be  represented  in  parliament.  This  seemed  to 
satisfy  them  and  work  was  resumed  throughout  the  dig- 
gings. 


302  SUCH  IS  LUCK. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Wadagalac  Diggings— A  Store— Success— A  Gold  Broker— Robbery 
and  Murder  of  Murphy  —  Punishment  —  The  Black  Guide  — 
Thick  Skull  — Dealing  with  Tramps— Return  to  Ballarat— A 
Struggle  with  Robbers  —  The  Ballarat  Bank  —  The  Famous 
Bank  Robbery— A  Woman  in  the  Affair. 

IT  took  some  time  to  get  the  claims  all  bailed  dry,  the 
windlasses  going  night  and  day  at  that  alone.  Walter 
and  I  had  got  into  one  claim  after  another,  until  we 
had  all  we  could  manage.  When  the  riot  broke  out  we 
had  one  which  we  supposed  to  be  dead  on  the  lead,  and  we 
were  in  high  spirits  when  we  got  to  work  again.  This 
turned  out,  however,  to  be  an  almost  perfect  failure;  and 
so  it  was  with  one  after  another  until  six  months  found  us 
totally  bankrupt,  and  about  four  hundred  pounds  in  debt. 
Rather  a  sad  result  for  two  men  who  six  months  before 
had  started  with  a  capital  of  twenty-six  hundred 
pounds  each.  But  such  is  the  luck  of  one  who  follows  gold 
digging.  At  this  time  there  was  a  party  of  men  who  had 
gone  down  a  gully  which  opened  into  the  Wadagalac  creek, 
one  of  whom  I  knew.  He  had  come  up  from  there  a  few 
days  before,  and  had  told  me  that  if  I  came  down  in  a  few 
days  I  would  be  able  to  tell  better  as  to  the  prospect  of 
permanent  diggings  there.    Leaving  Walter  and  Tom,  I 


MERCANTILE  CREDIT.  303 

started  one  morning  at  early  light,  making  the  twenty- 
eight  miles  by  noon,  and  found  the  party  in  high  spirits. 
They  had  struck  paying  gold  at  fourteen  feet  with  excel- 
lent prospects.  I  concluded  to  return  at  once  and  make 
arrangements  to  move  there.  There  were  no  diggings 
within  thirteen  miles,  and  consequently  no  store  for  sup- 
plies, and  I  thought  we  would  be  obliged  to  lay  in  a  stock 
at  Ballarat.  I  got  back  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
having  walked  a  distance  of  fifty-six  miles  that  day. 

I  went  to  Nichols  that  night,  told  him  of  the  situation 
and  advised  him  to  start  a  store  there  at  once,  as  there 
was  bound  to  be  a  big  rush  there  in  a  few  days.  He  said 
he  would  see  me  in  the  morning.  Next  morning  he  said  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  go  there,  as  they  had  all  they 
could  attend  to  there,  and  asked  me  why  I  did  not.  I  told 
him  that  was  out  of  the  question,  as  we  were  already 
in  debt  four  hundred  and  twenty  pounds,  and  how  that 
was  to  be  paid  until  we  struck  something  was  more  than 
I  could  tell.  He  said  all  I  owed  was  to  Wooden  and  him- 
self, and  he  would  let  me  have  all  the  things  I  wanted  in 
his  line ;  told  me  to  go  over  and  see  Wooden — he  would  let  me 
have  what  boots  and  shoes  I  wanted— then  he  would  back 
me  to  Edwards  and  Galagher,  and  to  start  on  my  own 
responsibility.  He  went  with  me  to  Wooden— the  old  man 
said  I  could  have  all  I  required— then  to  Edwards  and 
Galagher,  who  gave  me  credit  for  five  hundred  pounds. 
My  first  day's  bill  for  stock  was  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars. I  hired  two  teams  and  started  next  day.  In  the 
meantime,  it  was  understood  with  Walter  and  Tom  that 
Walter  was  to  remain  in  Ballarat  and  Tom  was  to  cro 


304  MAKE  OR  BREAK. 

with  me.  Tom  and  I  went  on  ahead  of  the  teams  to  get 
our  place  built  for  the  goods.  We  got  there  the  same  night, 
hired  some  blacks  to  strip  some  bark  while  we  cut  some 
poles,  and  by  the  third  day  after  leaving  Ballarat  we  had 
our  store  up  and  complete,  with  the  help  the  boys  had 
given  us.  The  news  of  the  rush  to  the  new  diggings  spread 
like  wild-fire,  and  people  were  flocking  in  by  hundreds,  and 
no  sooner  had  the  teams  arrived  with  our  goods  than  we 
commenced  to  sell  out  of  the  hind  end  of  the  drays,  and 
before  they  left  the  next  morning  we  were  obliged  to  send 
back  a  larger  order  than  my  first  purchase.  I  engaged  the 
drags  to  come  directly  back  with  as  little  delay  as  possible, 
which  they  did.  Included  in  my  order  this  time  was  brandy, 
dark  and  pale,  port-wine,  gin,  ale  and  porter  in  ample 
casks.  I  must  make  or  break,  and  I  knew  I  could  do  a 
good  business  in  such  necessities  of  English  colonial  mining 
life.  In  this  I  was  not  mistaken,  for  I  was  soon  making 
more  on  my  liquor  than  all  my  other  goods.  The  rush  was 
increasing  every  day,  and  I  was  completely  sold  out  before 
the  drays  got  back,  but  we  had  got  things  fixed  up  in  the 
meantime  more  ship-shape. 

There  was  no  bakery  there,  so,  of  course,  no  bread. 
There  were  already  two  or  three  rival  stores  starting  up, 
but  none  as  yet  had  any  goods.  When  my  drays  arrived, 
there  was  a  greater  run  upon  them  than  before.  All 
the  flour  I  had  was  sold  in  less  than  twenty  minutes,  and 
a  six-horse  wagon,  loaded  with  nothing  but  bread, 
filled  to  the  top  of  the  cover,  arrived,  which  I  bought  and 
sent  the  man  back  for  another  load. 

The  diggings  were  turning  out  well  and    people  still 


A  GOLD  BROKER.  305 

coming,  but  there  were  yet  no  buyers  of  gold,  or  banks 
or  places  to  deposit  for  safe  keeping.  I  went  to 
Ballarat  and  made  arrangements  with  a  gold-broker 
there  to  supply  me  with  money  to  buy  gold.  The  only  diffi- 
culty was  to  escape  the  bush-rangers  and  get  into  town 
with  it.  I  thought  I  would  try  it  at  any  rate,  for  there 
was  a  large  profit  on  it.  I  purchased  all  the  diggers  sold 
and,  also,  all  the  other  storekeepers  bought,  and  started 
in  the  night  with  it  for  Ballarat,  no  one  but  Tom  knowing 
of  my  starting.  I  kept  a  horse  stabled  in  the  rear  of  my 
store,  so  I  could  slip  out  the  back  door  and  leave  without 
anyone  knowing  it,  even  when  the  store  would  be  full  of 
people,  and  I  appeared  to  be  the  busiest.  Perhaps  I  would 
ask  them  all  to  have  a  drink  with  me,  and  while  they  were 
enjoying  their  toddy,  I  would  step  outside,  mount  my 
horse  and  slip  off  quietly,  not  keeping  the  road,  but  taking 
the  bush,  as  the  forest  was  called,  and  arrive  in  Ballarat 
in  the  morning,  sell  my  gold,  and  come  back  the  next 
night  in  the  same  manner,  no  one  knowing  of  my  going  or 
coming.  There  were  hard  cases  already  there,  as  there 
always  is  in  the  first  days  of  a  new  rush.  Many  times  I 
was  told  I  would  be  caught.  One  night,  after  having 
gone  to  bed,  I  heard  a  noise  that  woke  me,  and  calling 
Tom  we  listened  and  found  it  came  from  the  next  store. 
They  had  a  very  sick  child  there  with  which  they  had  been 
up  nights  for  a  week  or  more,  and  we  concluded  the  dis- 
turbance was  attributable  to  this  circumstance.  Mr.  Mur- 
phy, my  neighbor,  asked  me  in  the  morning  if  I  heard  any 
noise  in  the  night.  We  told  him  we  did,  and  supposed 
that  his  child  was  worse,  or  possibly  had  died.     "No," 


306  murphy's  store  robbery. 

said  he,  "last  night  was  the  first  sleep  any  of  us  had  for  a 
week."  He  asked  me  in,  and  only  to  find  his  store  com- 
pletely cleared  of  goods.  I  told  him  to  say  nothing  and 
we  would  have  the  thieves.  I  told  some  of  the  diggers 
what  had  happened.  They  knew  of  a  party  of  thieves 
camped  on  the  side  of  a  hill  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
away,  and  our  suspicions  rested  on  them  at  once.  About 
twelve  of  us  surrounded  their  tent.  Mr.  Bidwell  went  in 
— there  were  three  men  and  one  woman — he  told  them 
what  we  were  after,  and  found  nearly  all  the  things  in 
their  tent  and  dray.  We  tied  the  men  to  a  tree  opposite 
my  store,  and  sent  thirteen  miles  to  Smithdale  for  the 
police.  I  got  all  manner  of  abuse  from  the  tongues  of 
the  men  and  the  woman — certainly  she  was  the  worst  of 
the  three,  on  account  of  the  wonderful  flippancy  of  her 
tongue  and  admirable  command  of  the  most  emphatic 
and  expressive  terms  in  the  classic  language  of  Billings- 
gate. She  said  they  would  be  on  the  lookout  for  me  and 
would  have  my  gold  or  my  life,  and  that  I  might  be  sure 
of  if  they  got  a  chance.  So  she  rattled  on  as  women  of 
her  kind  do— their  tongues  once  started  are  sure  to  let  out 
all  their  mind  knows  or  thinks.  The  police  came,  loaded 
the  goods  in  part  into  the  thieves'  own  dray,  which  had 
borne  them  from  the  store,  and  part  into  Murphy's  store, 
and  started,  the  prisoners  calling  down  left-handed 
blessings  on  my  head.  They  were  all  taken  to  Ballarat, 
where  they  had  a  hearing,  and  two  of  the  men  were  bound 
over,  and  one  man  and  the  woman  were  released,  and 
Murphy  started  for  home  with  his  own  horse  and  dray. 
That  same  night  I  left  Happy  Valley,  for  that  was  the 


MURPHY  KILLED.  307 

name  of  our  new  diggings,  to  go  to  Ballarat.  It  was 
fearfully  dark  and  my  progress  was  slow,  and  I  reached  the 
road  leading  from  Smithdale  to  Ballarat  just  at  day- 
break. Upon  striking  the  road  I  put  my  horse  into  a 
canter,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  he  stopped  short, 
snorted,  and  suddenly  wheeled  around.  Of  course  I  knew 
something  was  up,  but  could  see  nothing.  I  turned  him 
and  started  back,  but  when  he  arrived  at  the  same  place 
he  wheeled  as  before.  I  saw  nothing  but  a  dark  spot  in 
the  road,  and  I  thought  it  was  this  he  was  afraid  of.  I 
got  off  and  examined  it,  and  it  seemed  to  be  nothing 
strange;  still  my  horse  was  afraid  and  kept  up  his  snort- 
ing. I  put  my  finger  on  the  wet  spot  and  it  felt  sticky. 
Just  then  I  heard  a  horse  shake  himself  in  his  harness, 
about  forty  yards  away,  and  neigh ;  my  horse  answered 
him.  I  went  down  to  him  and  found  it  was  Murphy's. 
I  looked  in  the  dray  and  called ;  I  got  no  answer.  I  went 
around,  and  there  lay  poor  Murphy  stiff  and  cold.  I  got 
onto  my  horse  and  rode  at  once  to  the  police  camp,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  away,  back  to  Smithdale,  and  reported  to 
the  police;  left  my  gold  at  their  camp  and  rode  back  to 
Happy  Valley  and  broke  the  news  to  his  poor  wife.  The 
man  and  woman  were  arrested  in  Smithdale,  where  they 
had  arrived  the  night  before  about  nine  o'clock.  They 
had  started  out  of  Ballarat  before  Murphy,  waited  for  him, 
and  shot  him  through  the  head.  The  man  was  tried  and 
hung;  the  woman  got  ten  years  penal  servitude.  That 
was  the  last  I  ever  heard  of  the  Murphy  family — they  im- 
mediately leaving  Happy  Valley — for  nearly  twenty  years, 
when  one  day  I  met  two  young  ladies,  one  of  whom  knew 


308  THE  BLACK  GUIDE. 

me.  She  proved  to  be  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Murphy's. 
She  insisted  on  my  going  home  with  her  mother,  whom, 
she  said,  often  spoke  of  me. 

Happy  Valley  did  not  last  long,  which  is  the  case  with  all 
shallow  diggings,  but  there  was  another  valley  discovered 
about  four  miles  from  there, called  Linton's.  Wemoved  up 
there  and  did  very  well  for  a  while,  but  I  did  not  like  the 
idea  of  following  up  these  rushings.  Linton's  lasted  six 
weeks  and  then  another  gully  opened  up  three  miles  away 
from  that.    So  I  sold  out  and  was  fortunate  in  doing  so. 

I  neglected  to  mention  that  as  soon  as  Walter  got  things 
arranged,  he  came  down  to  Linton's.  There  were  at  that 
time  a  large  number  of  Wadagalac  blacks  there,  the  tribe 
numbering  some  two  hundred;  now  they  are  totally  ex- 
tinct— the  ultimate  fate  of  the  savage  when  civilized  man 
enters  his  domain.  There  was  one  black  fellow  of  this 
tribe  who  told  me  he  knew  where  there  was  plenty  of  gold, 
about  sixty  miles  away,  and  offered  to  take  me  or  Walter 
there.  We  made  arrangements  to  go  with  him  and  take 
one  other  person  also,  but  the  night  before  they  purposed 
to  start,  another  tribe  of  blacks  came  down  on  them,  a 
great  fight  ensued,  and  our  black  pioneer  friend  received  a 
blow  on  the  head  that  would  have  crushed  a  white  man's 
skull  like  an  egg-shell.  Itcamenear  killing  him.  The  blacks 
sent  for. me;  I  found  him  to  all  appearance  dead,  but  on 
examination  discovered  that  he  still  breathed.  A  dozen 
or  more  women  were  around  him,  all  howling.  One  related 
to  him  seemed  to  take  the  lead  in  this  strange  style  of 
mourning,  and  I  began  to  feel  sorry  for  her,  as  it  seemed  as 
though  her  heart  would  break  and  she  would  lose  her  rea- 


A  THICK  SKULL.  309 

son.  All  at  once  she  stopped,  and  asked  me  to  give  her  a 
pipe  of  "bakka."  "Yes,"  said  I,  "if  you  will  stop  that 
infernal  howling."  Upon  this  they  all  proposed  to  cease 
on  the  same  terms.  I  gave  them  the  tobacco,  and  they 
all  knocked  off  and  lit  their  pipes,  and  that  was  the  last 
of  the  howling.  So  I  saw  that  grief,  sentiment  or  affection 
had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  only  funeral  style,  inherited 
from  their  remotest  ancestors.  Their  distress  was  all 
"put  on."  The  man  had  a  terrible  cut  on  the  head,  the 
gash  being  nearly  three  inches  long  and  laying  open  the 
skull.  I  had  often  heard  of  the  thickness  of  the  skull  of 
the  blacks,  but  had  never  before  seen  one  laid  open,  nor 
did  I  ever  believe  that  it  was  half  so  thick  as  this  man's. 
I  had  brought  some  court-plaster  and  some  castile  soap 
and  a  pair  of  scissors.  It  was  necessary  to  cut  away  some 
locks  of  hair. 

The  hair  of  these  natives  is  as  thick  as  a  mat,  is  never 
combed,  and  is  as  coarse  as  a  horse's  tail,  and  as  soon  as 
I  commenced  to  cut  it  the  woman  set  up  a  louder  and  still 
more  disagreeable  howl.  I  stopped  them,  but  found  they 
did  not  want  me  to  cut  his  hair.  I  explained  the  necessity 
thereof  to  save  his  life,  and  then  they  quieted  down  and 
appeared  satisfied,  but  watched  me  and  picked  up  every 
hair  that  was  dropped.  I  plastered  him  up  and  left  him, 
and  came  that  night  to  see  my  patient  and  found  he  had 
become  conscious,  but  did  not  believe  he  would  recover. 
One  can  judge  of  my  surprise  when,  only  four  days  after, 
he  came  down  to  my  store  and  said  he  was  ready  to  goon 
the  prospecting  trip.  They  started  the  following  day  and 
were  gone  about  two  weeks.    They  got  gold,  but  the  boys 


310  A  TOUGH  GANG. 

said  it  was  the  last  place  ever  made  and  they  would  not 
stop  there  if  they  could  make  a  pound  weight  of  gold  a 
day.  The  same  place,  but  a  short  time  after,  turned  out 
to  be  a  good  gold  district  and  a  great  quartz  region, 
known  as  the  Ararat  diggings.  A  few  days  before  leaving 
Linton's.  Tom  was  away  and  I  was  alone,  the  daggers  all 
being  up  at  the  new  rush .  The  other  store  on  the  gully  was 
kept  by  a  Mr.  Smith  from  Philadelphia,  and  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  numerous  other  Smiths  in  that  country  as  in 
all  others,  he  was  first  called  Philadelphia  Smith,  but  this 
being  a  little  too  long  to  pronounce  on  a  hot  day,  he  was 
finally  abbreviated  to  ''Phil,"  and  was  scarcely  known  by 
any  other  name.  Phil  and  myself  were  the  only  ones 
there,  and  about  2  p.  m.  I  saw  a  party  of  five  coming 
up  the  gully.  I  knew  they  were  a  tough  lot  and  called  to 
Phil  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout,  and  if  they  came  to  his  place 
and  he  wanted  help,  to  sing  out,  and  I  would  do  the  same 
if  they  came  to  mine.  He  said  all  right.  Soon  they  came 
up  straight  to  me  and  ordered  drink.  I  was  sitting  on 
a  keg  with  an  axe  handle  in  my  hand,  and  told  them  I  had 
none  to  sell ;  they  said  they  knew  better  and  if  I  did  not 
bring  it  out  they  would  take  it.  I  knew  what  they 
wanted  was  to  get  my  eye  off  from  them,  and  then  they 
would  hit  me  with  a  slung-shot  and  lay  me  out.  I  said, 
"You  will  take  this  first,"  at  the  same  time  hitting  the 
foremost  one  a  blow  that  Completely  knocked  him  out 
through  the  door,  and  sprang  forward  at  the  second,  but 
he  was  too  quick  for  me  and  got  out  of  my  reach.  I  then 
pulled  my  pistol  and  told  them  that  the  first  one  that 
attempted  to  come  one  step  towards  me  I  would  put  a 


RETURN  TO   BALLARAT.  311 

hole  through  him.  By  this  time  Phil  was  on  the  grounds. 
The  whole  thing  was  only  a  matter  of  a  few  seconds.  We 
ordered  them  off,  and  they  went  without  regard  to  the 
order  of  their  going,  but  went  at  once.  They  had  come 
with  the  intention  of  sticking  us  up  and  would  have  done 
so  had  I  not  so  suddenly  commenced  the  fight. 

After  disposing  of  everything  at  Linton's  I  concluded 
to  go  back  to  Ballarat,  look  around  and  start  another 
place  in  more  permanent  diggings.  Walter  had  gone  back 
already,  so  Tom  and  I  started  on  foot  with  eighty  ounces 
of  gold  and  over  one  hundred  pounds  sterling,  reaching 
Ballarat  at  dark.  I  carried  a  long  bowie-knife  in  the  leg 
of  my  high  boots,  just  out  of  sight,  but  handy  in  case  I 
should  want  to  pick  my  tooth  suddenly.  I  was  told  that 
Jim  Hull  was  in  town  stopping  at  the  Montezuma  hotel, 
and  wished  to  see  me.  My  knife  hurt  my  foot,  so  I  laid 
it  away  and  also  my  pistol  at  Nichol's  store,  remarking 
that  I  would  have  no  use  for  these  tools  to-night.  I 
usually  deposited  my  gold  when  I  came  in,  but  for  some 
reason  I  did  not  this  time,  and  I  had  it  in  a  belt  around 
me,  while  my  money  was  loose  in  my  pocket.  I  started 
down  to  the  hotel,  a  distance  of  not  more  than  two  hun- 
dred yards  from  Nichols'  store,  Tom  going  with  me.  We 
saw  Hull  and  started  back ;  the  night  was  very  dark  and 
a  drizzling  rain'  was  falling ;  the  road  was  sloppy  with  a 
thin  paving  of  about  two  inches  of  mud.  We  took  the 
centre  of  the  road,  and  not  until  now  did  it  occur  to  my 
mind  that  I  had  forgotten  to  leave  my  money  behind,  and 
now  I  had  no  weapons  in  case  of  an  attack.  We  had  not 
gone  more  than  sixty  yards  from  the  hotel  when  I  dis- 


312  ATTACKED  BY  ROBBERS. 

covered  three  men  standing  in  the  road  just  in  front  of  us. 
We  shied  off  intending  to  give  them  a  wide  berth.  Just 
as  we  passed  them,  I  cast  my  eye  over  my  shoulder  and 
got  a  glimpse  of  one  in  the  act  of  striking  at  me  with  a 
slung-shot.  As  quick  as  thought  I  wheeled  around  and 
struck  him  with  my  fist  with  all  the  force  I  had,  which 
was  more  considerable  in  those  days  than  now.  He  was 
not  looking  for  it  and  he  fell  like  a  bullock.  The  second 
one  and  I  clinched,  and  I  threw  him  as  quick  as  though 
he  had  come  in  contact  with  a  locomotive.  The  third 
man  tackled  Tom,  but  he  kept  him  off  with  his  knife,  and 
retreated  backwards  towards  the  hotel.  When  they  had 
got  about  half  the  distance,  he  left  Tom  and  came  back 
to  his  pals  and  me.  I  had  the  two,  one  top  of  the  other, 
and  was  not  conscious  of  the  third  coming  back,  being 
too  busily  engaged  even  to  cry  for  help.  He  struck  me 
with  a  slung-shot  on  the  back  of  my  neck,  which  laid  me 
at  full  length.  It  did  not  stun  me  as  he  supposed  it  had, 
or  he  would  have  given  me  another  blow,  but  rather 
stupefied  me.  I  realized  that  he  was  stamping  on  me,  but 
it  did  not  seem  to  hurt  me.  At  last  he  bent  over  me  and 
began  tearing  my  clothes  open,  when  all  of  a  sudden  the 
thought  flashed  across  my  mind,  what  am  I  lying  here  for? 
I  caught  him  by  the  necktie  and  seized  him  by  the  throat 
with  the  grasp  of  a  vice.  It  took  him  by  surprise.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet,  seized  his  hand  that  held  the  slung-shot,, 
and  in  less  than  a  second  he  lay  on  his  back. 

Tom  in  the  meantime  got  to  the  hotel,  gave  the  alarm, 
and  all  started  for  the  scene  of  action.  The  two  with 
whom  I  had  first  contended  heard  them  coming  and  quit 


THE  SLUNG-SHOT.  313 

the  field.  The  boys  found  me  on  top  of  the  third  man, 
stamping  like  a  mad  man  and  plastered  all  over  with  mud. 
They  did  not  know  me  in  the  darkness,  and  simply  seeing 
me  on  top  took  me  for  the  robber.  Being  myself  wild  and 
crazy  with  excitement,  I  thought  they  were  confederates- 
come  to  assist  them  against  me,  and  I  struggled  with  my 
friends  and  told  them  I  would  clean  them  all  out.  The  blow 
I  had  received  had  maddened  me.  Just  then  Tom  came 
up  and  said,  "Why,  it  is  Charlie."  In  the  struggle  with 
me  the  three  got  away.  The  boys  that  came  from  the 
hotel  to  rescue  me  were  much  humiliated  to  think  they  did 
not  recognize  me  even  in  the  darkness.  An  Irishman  in  the 
crowd,  called  New  York  Jack,  said :  ' '  Sure  we  should  have 
known  that  Charlie  was  bound  to  be  on  top." 

Walter  was  in  Melbourne,  but  arrived  by  coach  the  next 
day.  When  told  that  I  had  been  "stuck-up,"  he  asked  if 
they  had  killed  me.  "No,"  said  the  one  telling  the  news. 
"Then,"  said  he,  "they  did  not  get  his  gold."  The  blow  I 
received  on  the  back  of  my  neck  gathered  and  discharged, 
and  I  was  laid  up  some  three  weeks.  A  blow  from  aslung- 
shot  is  very  dangerous.  I  would  rather  take  my  chances 
from  a  pistol  wound .  Twice  I  had  experience  of  the  effect  of 
that  murderous  instrument.  For  the  benefit  of  those  who 
might  not  know,  I  will  endeavor  to  describe  the  weapon. 
First  a  lump  of  lead  of  the  size  of  an  egg,  round  and 
smooth,  enclosed  in  a  mitten  woven  out  of  coarse  hard 
twine,  about  nine  inches  long— more,  perhaps,  like  an  old- 
fashioned  money  purse  than  like  a  mitten— and  is  fastened 
around  the  wrist  by  a  strap  with  a  buckle,  so  that  in  case 
of  arrest,  or  prospect  thereof,  they  may  detach  it  and  not 


314  THE  BANK  ROBBERY. 

be  caught  with  it  on  their  person,  which  would  be  worse 
for  them  than  having  a  pistol. 

In  further  illustration  of  criminal  manners  and  customs 
in  the  mining  colonies  in  primitive  days,  I  venture  to  refer 
to  the  robbery  of  the  Ballarat  bank  in  1855.  The  Bank 
of  Australia  had  opened  a  branch  at  Ballarat,  on  what 
was  then  one  of  its  back  streets.  It  was  a  small,  wooden 
building.  One  day  about  2  p.  m.  three  men  entered,  wearing 
masks,  and  presented  revolvers  at  the  heads  of  the  two 
persons  in  charge,  and  told  them  if  they  stirred  or  made 
the  least  noise  they  would  blow  out  their  brains.  The 
two  kept  their  pistols  at  their  heads  while  the  third  tied 
and  gagged  them,  and  in  that  position  they  were  found  an 
hour  later.  They  then  completely  sacked  the  bank  and 
took  to  the  bush,  which  was  near  by,  and  that  was  all 
that  was  ever  known  of  them.  The  whole  affair  was 
wrapt  in  mystery— the  detectives  could  get  no  clew  of  it. 
It  was  a  seven  days'  wonder,  and  then  alluded  to  no  more. 
There  had  been  a  firm  there,  Garret,  Mariet  &  Quinn,  who 
had  been  keeping  a  grocery  store,  but  sold  out  a  few  days 
before  the  robbery.  Mariet  was  boarding  at  the  Arcade 
hotel  at  the  time,  Garret  was  stopping  elsewhere,  and 
Quinn  lived  with  a  women  in  a  tent,  none  of  them  having 
any  transactions  with  the  others,  and  it  was  generally 
supposed  that  they  were  not  on  cordial  terms.  Mariet 
was  a  man  of  few  words,  and  would  sit  for  hours  watch- 
ing a  game  of  ten-pins.  Sometimes  he  would  roll  just  one 
ball  on  a  bed  for  the  drinks.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  rob- 
bery he  was  out,  as  was  his  usual  custom  at  that  time  of 
day,  directly  after  dinner,  and  not  returning  until  past 


ROBBERS  DISCOVERED.  315 

five.  When  he  returned  he  was  asked  concerning  the  rob- 
bery. He  had  heard  of  it,  and  joined  freely,  for  him,  in 
discussing  the  probabilities  of  the  robbers  being  captured. 
He  thought  they  surely  would  be.  After  the  subject  had 
passed  out  of  mind  he  signified  his  purpose  to  go  to  En- 
gland by  the  Great  Britain,  soon  to  sail  from  Melbourne; 
bought  his  ticket  on  the  coach,  paid  his  hotel  bill,  and  gave 
out  that  he  was  going  to  start  the  next  morning,  and  in- 
vited his  friends  to  a  farewell  drink.  All  were  sorry  to 
have  him  go,  as  he  had  become  a  general  favorite  with  the 
boarders. 

Garret  had  in  the  meantime  disappeared,  and  Quinn  and 
the  woman  had  gone  to  Geelong,  where  she  was  cutting  a 
rather  wide  swath  and  spending  money  right  and  left.  It 
seems  that  some  of  the  notes  taken  from  the  bank  were 
known  by  the  numbers  of  a  certain  issue,  which  fact  had 
not  been  given  out  by  the  bank  officers,  but  only  so  many 
ounces  of  gold-dust  and  such  an  amount  in  notes.  It  was 
not  long  before  some  of  these  notes  found  their  way  to 
the  bank  for  deposit.  Enquiries  were  made  where  they 
were  obtained,  and  they  were  immediately  traced  to  Mrs. 
Quinn.  She  peached  on  the  whole  late  firm  of  Ballarat 
grocers.  Quinn  turned  Queen's  evidence  against  Garret 
and  Mariet .  The  latter  was  then  aboard  the  Great  Britain, 
under  sail  for  England,  but  had  not  passed  the  Heads. 
She  was  stopped  at  Queen's  Cliff,  and  he  was  taken  off, 
convicted,  and  got  seven  years  penal  servitude.  Garret 
had  left  the  colony  already  and  sailed  for  England.  Word 
was  sent  by  the  Great  Britain,  but  he  had  arrived  there  in 
advance  of  that  steamer,  disappeared,  and  for  a  long  time 


316  GARRET  DISCOVERED. 

no  trace  of  him  could  be  obtained,  though  the  London  de 
tectives  did  their  best  to  get  him.  The  colony,  however, 
was  determined  to  have  him,  and  sent  a  detective  from 
Melbourne  to  London.  This  detective  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  Garret,  having  known  him  during  his  term 
of  penal  servitude  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  before  he  became 
a  member  of  the  honorable  firm  of  grocers  in  Ballarat,  and 
thoroughly  understood  the  "old  hand"  style.  After  be- 
ing in  London  for  several  months,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  giving  up  the  search  in  despair,  he  was  one  day  passing 
a  skittle  alley,  and  it  occurred  to  him  it  was  just  the  place 
to  find  his  man.  He  walked  in,  dressed  in  the  flash  sport- 
ing style  of  a  Van  Diemen's  Land  "old  hand,"  that  is, 
cabbage  tree  hat,  with  a  wide  black  ribbon  streaming 
down  the  sides  about  three  inches.  He  was  very  fluent  in 
his  old  hand  slang  talk,  walked  in  and  at  once  challenged 
anyone  on  the  ground  to  throw  him  "three  skittles  for  a 
fine  bob  "—that  is  the  slang  term  for  five  shillings— at  the 
same  time  thro  wing  his  five  shillings  on  the  ground,  asking 
if  there  was  any  "cove  in  the  ground  game  to  cover  it  ?  " 
He  at  once  discovered  his  man  and  knew  him,  but  Garret 
did  not  recognize  him,  but  took  him  for  a  pigeon  to  pluck, 
accepted  his  challenge  and,  of  course,  won ;  played  on,  be- 
came social,  intimate,  and  finally  discovered  in  each  other 
old  Van  Diemen's  Land  acquaintances.  Garret  in  his 
seclusion  was  glad  to  meet  an  old  pal  from  the  "Holy 
Land,"  as  the  old  convicts  termed  Hobartstown,  and  in- 
vited the  detective  to  the  hospitalities  of  a  near  ale-house, 
which  he,  of  course,  accepted.  The  detective  always  had 
two  constables  with  him,  or  shadowing  him,   and  they 


GARRET  CONVICTED.  317 

were  near  now.  As  they  left  the  skittle  alley  the  detective 
saw  his  shadows  and  gave  the  signal  without  Garret  dis- 
covering him.  They  entered  the  public  house  to  have  a 
"bull"— slang  term  for  a  drink.  While  standing  at  the 
bar  in  the  act  of  drinking,  the  shadowers  came  up  behind 
and  grabbed  Garret,  each  by  an  arm.  He  was  a  powerful 
man  and  struggled  manfully  for  his  liberty,  for  he  instantly 
knew  he  was  discovered  and  betrayed,  and  it  took  the 
united  efforts  of  the  three  to  handcuff  him.  He  was 
brought  back  and  received  seven  years,  served  it  out  and 
went  to  New  Zealand,  was  arrested  and  sent  back,  as  they 
won't  have  Australian  convicts  over  there;  got  into  dif- 
ficulty again,  and  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in  penal  servi- 
tude. I  never  knew  what  became  of  Mariet,  for  whom 
there  was  considerable  sympathy,  as  being  led  into  the 
<rrime  by  Garret.  Quinn  was  an  old  convict.  It  was  a 
clever  robbery  and  well  carried  out,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  extravagant  and  dashing  Madam  Quinn,  it  prob- 
ably would  not  have  been  exposed  to  this  day. 


318  LAID  UP. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Alma  Diggings— Ovens  Creek— Newspapers— Wealth  and  Extrava- 
gance—"A  Hatter"— First  Engine  on  the  Woolshed  —  Court 
of  Mines— Devil's  Elbow  — Hard  Work  — Great  Results— Nine- 
pins—Fourth  of  July— News  of  the  Rebellion  in  United  States 
—Sadness  and  Silence— Friendships  Among  Strangers— George 
Francis  Train— American  Ball— My  Partner— Mrs.  Mason— The 
Star  of  the  Evening — The  Milliner's  Bill. 

I  WAS  laid  up  in  bed  for  three  weeks  after  my  encountei 
with  the  robbers.  My  neck  gathered  and  broke;  1 
could  not  move  my  self  for  the  bruises  I  got  by  their  stamp- 
ing upon  me,  and  it  was  fully  a  month  before  I  could  be 
out.  Walter  had  gone  to  the  Alma  digging  and  wrote  for 
Tom  and  myself  to  come  on  as  soon  as  I  was  able.  Tom 
had  stayed  behind  to  take  care  of  me,  and  I  went  sooner 
than  I  ought  to  have  done.  Before  leaving  Ballarat  I 
settled  up  and  paid  all  we  owed,  and  we  had  something  to 
start  on  anew.  No  sooner  had  we  arrived  at  Alma  than  I 
was  taken  down  again  and  came  very  near  dying.  I  lay 
in  the  Golden  Age  hotel  for  three  weeks,  but  thanks  to  a. 
good  constitution  and  Dr.  Candiartis,  I  got  all  right  and 
was  ready  for  the  Firey  creek  rush  that  had  just  then  broke 
out. 
Walter  and  Tom  had  gone  before  and  had  a  good  claim, 


FROM  ALMA  TO  OVENS.  319 

although  a  small  one,  so  it  did  not  take  us  long  to  work 
it.  The  Woolshed  creek  had  proved  to  be  richer  than 
either  of  the  two  before  named.  I  have  already  mentioned 
that  Spring,  Reed's  and  the  Woolshed  were  all  one  and 
the  same  creek  on  the  Ovens.  Domestic,  Reed's  and  Spring 
were  worked  first,  but  the  ground  was  so  wet  and  sinking 
so  deep  that  they  could  not  be  worked  on  the  same  claim 
principle.  It  was  remedied  as  soon  as  the  Court  of  Mines 
law  came  in  force,  and  it  was  now  proving  itself  to  be  one 
of  the  richest  in  the  colonies,  and  here  I  was  bound  to  go 
if  I  could  get  the  other  boys  enlisted.  We  had  washed  up 
and  our  dirt  had  turned  out  one  hundred  and  four  ounces 
of  gold.  I  bought  a  horse,  told  the  boys  I  was  going  back 
to  the  Ovens,  and  asked  if  they  were  going  with  me.  They 
said  yes,  and  we  were  to  go  b\-  way  of  Ballarat.  I  knew, 
however,  if  I  went  back  there  Nichols  would  try  to  per- 
suade me  out  of  the  notion,  so  I  proposed  to  Walter  to  go 
to  Ballarat,  while  Tom  and  I  would  go  across  to  Castle- 
main  and  wait  there  a  day  for  him.  It  was  as  I  expected. 
Nichols  wanted  us  to  stop  and  persuaded  Walter  to  do 
so,  thinking  I  would  come  also;  but  as  he  did  not  come 
to  Castlemain,  Tom  and  I  started  on  without  him.  It  was 
a  long  walk  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  the  horse 
carrying  our  blankets  and  tools  and  what  provisions  we 
required  on  the  road.  Our  route  lay  in  the  line  of  Goul- 
bourne  river,  and  where  we  struck  the  old  Sidney  road 
which  I  had  traveled  no  less  than  four  times  before. 

The  weather  was  hot  and  dry — thermometer  registering 
not  less  than  100°  every  day.  Such  traveling  can  be  ap- 
preciated only  by  those  who  have  experienced  it.    When 


320  BUSH-RANGERS  AGAIN. 

we  arrived  at  Beneta  we  found  the  town  in  great  excite- 
ment—police all  out  after  the  bush-rangers  who  had  at- 
tempted to  rob  an  American  named  Curbey,  from  Penn- 
sylvania, on  his  way  to  Melbourne  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  ounces  of  gold.  He  was  within  three  miles  of  Beneta 
when  three  horsemen  came  upon  him,  presented  their  pis- 
tols and  commanded  him  to  deliver.  Curbey  was  a  one- 
handed  man,  and  for  that  reason  they  were  doubtless  a 
little  more  careless  than  they  would  have  been.  He  pulled 
up  and  quickly  wound  his  bridle  rein  around  his  arm  and 
commenced  to  fumble  as  if  to  unstrap  his  valise.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  splendid  spirited  horse.  Suddenly  he 
touched  his  spur  to  his  horse's  flanks,  which  made  one 
bound  and  cleared  the  robbers.  They  all  fired  but  missed 
him.  Then  came  an  exciting  race.  Curbey  had  a  pistol 
which  he  turned  on  his  horse  and  fired  under  full  speed, 
but  though  a  good  shot,  he  could  not  take  deliberate  aim. 
They  ran  him  within  less  than  a  mile  of  the  police  station, 
when  Curbey,  turning  again  in  his  saddle,  fired  and  hit  the 
foremost  of  the  three,  when  they  gave  up  the  chase  and  he 
rode  to  the  station  and  reported.  The  police  pursued, 
found  traces  of  blood  of  the  wounded  robber,  but  they  got 
away  and  were  never  caught  for  that  offense. 

Upon  arriving  at  Beechworth  I  found  a  great  change 
since  I  was  first  there,  four  years  before,  and  now  three 
years  since  I  had  seen  it  a  field  of  tents ;  now  there  were 
large  brick  buildings,  five  large  hotels,  stores  too  numer- 
ous to  mention,  and  two  printing  offices— the  Ovens 
Advertiser  and  The  New  Constitution— although  the  new 
constitution  had  not  yet  become  law,  but  did  shortly 


CHANGES— THE   " HATTER."  321 

after.  Scott  had  built  a  large  bakery ;  in  fact,  it  was  the 
most  lively  and  progressive  little  town  in  all  Victoria. 
The  Woolshed  was  some  seven  miles  down  the  creek,  and 
we  made  for  that  town  to  see  the  money  spent.  I  have 
visited  many  camps  and  mining  towns  in  Australia  and 
California,  but  never  saw  a  place  where  money  was  spent 
so  freely — actually  thrown  away— as  it  was  on  the  Wool- 
shed  diggings  in  the  days  when  the  Cameron's,  Jonston 's, 
Williams'  and  the  Yankee  boys,  Strickland  and  Chambers' 
claims  were  in  full  running  order.  There  were  many  more 
I  could  name,  but  it  is  useless.  The  creek,  for  over  four 
miles,  was  working  in  full  blast. 

When  I  was  on  Reed's  creek  before,  there  was  a  man  at 
the  lower  end,  a  "hatter,"  as  he  was  called  by  the  diggers, 
that  is,  one  that  works  alone,  a  Scotchman,  who  always 
lived  and  worked  alone.  He  amused  himself  at  night 
playing  a  fiddle.  No  one  knew  how  much  or  little  he  was 
making,  or  cared,  for  that  matter.  He  was  a  pleasant 
man  to  speak  to,  but  disclosed  nothing  but  his  qualities  as 
a  fiddler,  which  were  quite  good.  Jonston,  for  that  was 
his  name,  had  been  there  some  three  years,  when  suddenly 
he  took  it  into  his  head  to  move  to  the  Woolshed  and  take 
up  a  claim  there.  All  were  surprised,  for  they  knew  that 
large  parties  had  been  driven  out  by  the  under  water,  and 
no  one  ever  thought  of  Jonston's  ever  hiring  anyone  or 
taking  in  a  partner,  and  no  one  thought  he  had  much 
money,  if  they  had  any  thoughts  at  all  about  it,  when  one 
day  there  arrived  a  small  engine  from  Melbourne,  for 
Jonston  on  the  Woolshed.  It  made  people  open  their  eyes. 
He  had  taken  a  small  claim  under  the  new  regulations, 


322  THE 

hired  men  to  open  it,  paid  them  the  highest  wages,  cut  a 
tail-race,  sank  a  pump-hole  and  got  his  engine  to  pumping, 
and  in  a  short  time  was  in  full  blast.  However,  the  claim 
did  not  pay,  though  he  stuck  to  it  four  months  with  eight 
men,  paying  out  more  money  than  he  got  gold,  when  one 
Saturday  night  he  told  his  men  that  they  would  have  to 
quit,  as  his  money  was  all  spent.  They  talked  it  over 
among  themselves  and  proposed  to  give  him  a  week's 
work,  hoping  for  better  results,  and  were  rewarded,  dur- 
ing the  week,  by  striking  it  very  rich,  so  much  so,  that 
most  of  his  men  then  left  his  service  and  took  claims,  and 
soon  every  claim  on  the  creek  was  taken,  and  when  I 
arrived  all  the  claims  were  paying,  and  Jonston  was 
working  over  one  hundred  men ;  Cameron,  forty ;  Strick- 
land &  Batey,  sixty;  Chambers,  forty ;  and  many  others 
about  the  same.  There  were  over  three  thousand  men 
working  on  the  creek  at  seven  pounds  a  week  (thirty- 
five  dollars).  When  Christmas  came,  Jonston  paid  off  his 
men,  gave  them  a  week's  wages  in  advance  and  told  them 
to  report  for  work  that  day  week. 

There  were  no  less  than  ten  or  fifteen  dance  houses, 
drinks  were  thirty-seven  cents,  and  everything  else  in  pro- 
portion. There  was  no  more  vacant  ground,  and  the  only 
chance  was  to  go  to  work  by  the  day.  I  had  not  come  for 
that,  and  I  was  not  going  to  do  it  if  I  could  help  it.  So  I 
went  prospecting  around  in  the  spurs,  which  were  of  a 
cement  formation  and  very  hard  sinking,  could  not  make 
a  hole  more  than  six  inches  deep  in  a  day,  and  when  we 
found  bottom  it  proved  a  "duffer."  I  was  "down  in  the 
mouth,  "as  they  term  it  when  one  is  discouraged.    But  Tom 


the  devil's  elbow.  323 

-was  game  to  tackle  another  hole,  and  commenced  one  on 
what  was  called  the  Devil's  Elbow.  Just  then  the  Court 
of  Mines  had  decided  that  the  creek  claims  had  a  certain 
limit  as  to  width  ;  one  could  only  hold  one  hundred  feet  on 
each  side  of  the  creek,  and  as  in  some  places  the  flats  were 
two  hundred  feet  wide  on  a  side,  consequently  there  was 
room  for  what  was  called  a  bank  claim,  and  I  staked  out 
one  alongside  of  one  known  as  King's  claim,  and  bot- 
tomed a  shaft  in  the  same  way  we  used  to  in  Ballarat,  by 
timbering  and  windlass.  It  was  only  about  eighteen  feet 
to  the  bottom  rock.  The  people  laughed  at  the  idea ;  but 
we  were  sanguine  it  could  be  done  and  went  to  the  bush 
and  split  and  dressed  the  slabs.  It  was  then  only  to  pros- 
pect the  ground ;  we  did  not  think  of  working  it  in  that 
way.  However,  after  working  ourselves  almost  to  death, 
we  struck  bottom,  and  the  first  shovelful  of  granite  and 
gravel  we  got  we  washed  out  in  a  tin  dish  down  to  the 
black  sand,  and  there  was  a  good  ounce  of  gold  in  it.  Our 
courage  was  up,  and  we  could  now  get  plenty  to  join  us 
and  put  in  a  pump  for  half  the  claim.  We  did  so.  It  was 
divided  into  six  shares.  Tom  and  I  held  one  each  and  one 
for  Walter.  So  we  went  on,  enlarged  the  hole  and  put  in 
a  pump,  windlass  and  all  other  essentials.  The  process  of 
enlargement  was  slow,  and  in  all  respects  the  work  of 
timbering  the  shaft  and  disposing  of  the  surplus  water  and 
dirt  was  but  a  repetition  of  what  I  have  heretofore  de- 
scribed. 

The  best  pay  dirt  was  always  on  the  bed-rock  and  some- 
times it  was  very  rich.  In  Cameron  claim  I  have  known 
as  high  as  eighty  pounds  of  gold  being  taken  out  in  three 


324  A   HORSE  SHOD  WITH  GOLD. 

days.  In  Jonston's  I  have  seen  three  pint  cups  washed  in 
one  day,  clear  from  black  sand,  then  the  sand  that  was 
washed  out  at  the  same  time  would  run  twenty-four 
ounces  more  to  the  bucket.  I  saw  a  paddock  sixty  feet  long 
by  eleven  feet  wide,  turn  out  one  hundred  pounds  of  gold. 
It  was  said  that  when  Jonston  worked  the  Woolshed  he 
cleared  eighty  thousand  pounds  sterling  (four  hundred 
thousand  dollars)  in  one  year.  Money  was  squandered  by 
the  Woolshed  bosses,  as  they  were  called.  It  seemed  as  if 
they  did  not  know  how  to  spend  it  fast  enough.  I  have 
seen  bottles  of  champagne  put  in  as  ten-pins,  at  one  pound 
a  bottle,  and  smashed  with  a  ball  the  same  as  pins  are 
knocked.  And  when  Cameron,  the  brother  of  the  one  who 
owned  the  claim  on  the  Woolshed,  was  elected  to  parlia- 
ment, the  diggers  shod  his  horse  with  gold  shoes;  and 
at  the  races  I  have  seen  men  running  around  with  their 
hands  full  of  five  pound  notes,  soliciting  bets,  too  drunk, 
most  of  them,  to  know  how  they  bet  or  with  whom.  Such 
is  the  effect  that  sudden  riches  has,  too  often,  upon  those 
who  never  before  had  but  little. 

Districts  differed  in  respect  to  the  kind  or  form  of  gold 
obtained.  In  Ovens  district  it  was  of  ordinary  fineness, 
while  that  on  Reed's  creek  and  Woodshed  was  fine  as  flour, 
and  when  washed  out  from  the  gravel  it  was  inpregnated 
with  or  rather  mixed  with  what  we  called  black  sand, 
but  was  really  tin  ore,  very  pure,  and  it  was  difficult  to 
separate  the  gold  from  it.  Besides,  unless  the  dirt  was 
very  rich,  it  was  impossible  to  get  any  gold  free  from  the 
sand.  Where  it  was  rich,  perhaps  one-half,  and  sometimes 
more,  pure  gold  could  be  obtained  without  going  through 


FOURTH  OF  JULY.  325 

the  process  of  quicksilvering  it.  At  first  it  was  thought 
that  the  sand  of  itself  was  not  worth  saving  after  the  gold 
was  supposed  to  be  taken  out,  but  afterwards  it  was  found 
to  be  worth  as  high  as  ninety  pounds  per  ton.  It  was  very 
heavy,  weighing  as  much  as  one  hundred  pounds  to  a  com- 
mon bucket.  The  method  of  separating  the  gold  from 
the  sand  was  with  quicksilver.  Many  supposed  the  tin 
would  adhere  to  the  silver,  but  it  was  not  so  at  the  Ovens 
mines;  the  tin  there  was  covered  with  a  black  coating, 
hence  its  name,  black  sand.  After  mixing  about  six 
buckets  of  ore  dirt  in  a  barrel,  prepared  for  the  purpose 
like  a  churn,  with  twenty  pounds  of  quicksilver,  and 
revolving  or  churning  about  twenty  minutes,  it  is  taken  out 
and  run  through  a  long  torn.  The  gold  amalgamates 
with  the  silver,  is  run  off  in  a  body,  the  silver  being  strained 
through  chamois  leather.  In  this  way  the  silver  was 
gathered  in  a  ball,  which  is  put  into  a  retort  which  re- 
leases the  gold,  and  is  then  smelted  in  a  crucible.  When 
no  crucible  was  to  be  had,  go  to  a  blacksmith's  forge, 
clear  it  out,  put  in  some  wet  clay  of  the  consistency  of 
paste,  some  charcoal  and  start  a  fire.  When  it  is  at  a  white 
heat  put  in  the  amalgam,  and  after  five  minutes  steady 
blowing  of  the  bellows  the  amalgam  will  disappear;  then 
take  out  the  clay  and  wash  it  and  there  will  be  the  gold  in 
some  of  the  finest  nuggets  ever  seen,  of  all  sorts  and  shapes 
imaginable.  Some  of  the  claims  on  the  Woolshed  would 
obtain  as  high  as  a  ton  of  sand  in  a  day's  steady  washing. 
Fourth  of  July  was  coming  and  arrangements  had  to 
be  made  for  the  celebration,  for  the  Americans  had  always 
observed  the  day  and  the  Canadians  or  British  Americans 


326  WAR  NEWS  FROM  HOME. 

had  always  joined  in  the  festivities  of  the  occasion,  and 
seemed  to  take  as  much  interest  in  it  as  those  from  the 
United  States.  The  day  was  celebrated  every  year  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  or  civil  war,  when  it 
was  suspended  until  the  war  was  over.  I  should,  perhaps, 
here  mention  that  all  through  that  struggle  I  never  heard 
or  knew  of  a  hard  or  unkind  word  ever  passing  between 
a  southern  and  northern  man.  That  subject  seemed,  as  it 
were,  by  mutual  consent  to  be  put  aside.  There  were  there 
about  an  equal  number  of  northern  and  southern  men, 
but  the  subject  was  ignored  so  far  as  conversation  was 
concerned.  Silence  w7as  the  order  and  seemed  to  be  the 
pride  of  each  regarding  the  war.  When  the  mail  would 
arrive,  one  would,  perhaps,  see  his  southern  friend  appear 
the  day  after  with  crape  on  his  sleeve — the  mail  had 
brought  news  of  another  great  slaughter.  We  knew 
what  it  meant  without  asking,  and  no  questions  were 
asked.  One  might,  perhaps,  hear  it  whispered  among  his 
friends  that  so  and  so  had  lost  a  brother — killed  at  Yicks- 
burg  or  Pittsburgh  Landing  or  some  other  place;  or, 
perhaps,  one  would  see  two  talking  together,  mutual 
friends,  both  wearing  the  crape  just  put  on,  one  from  the 
north,  the  other  from  the  south.  Listen  to  them  and  likely 
you  would  hear  it  from  one  with  a  sigh— "God  knows  I 
hope  there  will  soon  be  an  end  of  it,"  and  a  solemn  re- 
sponse of  "Amen  "  from  the  other.  They  were  enemies  in 
sentiment,  but  bosom  friends  at  heart.  One  does  not 
know  what  true  friendship  is  until  he  has  been  for  years 
in  a  foreign  land,  thrown  among  strangers  in  his  youth; 
it  is  then  he  appreciates  a  friend.    I  have  met  with  those 


FRIENDS  AMONG  STRANGERS.  327 

born  in  a  foreign  country  that  I  have  felt  were  as  near  to 
me  as  a  brother.  I  have  often  heard  of  people  dying  in  a 
foreign  land  without  friends,  and  I  have  as  often  thought 
that  it  might  be  their  own  fault.  One  need  not  necessarily 
be  without  friends,  no  matter  where  he  may  be,  even 
among  strangers.  It  is  generally  his  own  actions  that 
make  him  friends,  or  make  him  enemies,  and  he  is  likely 
to  have  one  or  the  other.  To  a  young  man  starting  out 
in  the  world  I  would  say  to  him  that  it  altogether  depends 
npon  himself  whether  or  not  he  is  successful  in  finding 
friends.  He  will  find  them,  but  before  he  accepts  them  he 
should  be  sure  they  are  friends  of  the  right  kind.  "But 
how  is  one  to  know?"  he  may  ask.  His  own  common  sense 
will  teach  him,  his  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong;  the 
principles  that  his  mother  taught  him,  as  she  bent  over 
nim  in  prayer,  as  she  put  him,  to  bed,  will  stand  him  in 
hand  then.  For  thirty-four  years  I  have  been  among 
strangers  and  never  once  set  my  eyes  on  anyone  near  me 
by  the  ties  of  blood  relationship,  yet  I  was  never  without 
a  friend.  If  I  had  been,  I  think  it  would  have  been  my 
own  fault.  My  young  friends  should  bear  in  mind  when 
they  start  out  in  life  for  new  fields  of  enterprise  or  a  new 
home,  that  if  they  have  plenty  of  friends  in  the  place  they 
are  leaving,  they  will  be  sure  to  find  plenty  wherever  they 
go.  The  story  of  the  man  who  "moved  his  wagon  west, " 
illustrates  the  idea.  "He  never  would  have  left  if  it  had 
not  been  for  his  neighbors;  there  never  were  such  bad 
neighbors  as  he  had  left ;  there  was  no  living  with  them ; 
and  so  he  had  come  west  to  settle  among  better  ones.', 
An  old  man  who  heard  him,  said,  "I  am  sorry  for  you; 


328  TRAIN  SPEAKS. 

young  man,  for  you  will  find  here  just  such  neighbors  as  you 
left ;  you  haven't  bettered  yourself  a  bit."  The  next  week 
another  came  from  the  same  place,  and  his  only  regret  in 
leaving  was,  that  he  had  left  such  a  friendly  lot  of  neigh- 
bors. ' '  You  need  have  no  regrets, ' '  said  the  same  old  man 
who  had  addressed  the  other  immigrant,  "you  will  find  just 
as  good  neighbors  here."  If  one  makes  a  boot-jack  he 
makes  it  because  he  wants  one,  and  it  is  just  as  well  to 
make  a  good  one  as  a  bad  one,  and  the  same  rule  holds 
good  in  respect  to  making  friends. 

But  I  have  wandered  from  my  story  of  celebrating  the 
Fourth  of  July  in  Australia.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  a 
public  dinner  that  day  that  I  met  and  heard  the  noted 
George  Francis  Train.  He  was  then  connected  with  the 
American  firm  of  Caldwell,  Train  &  Co.  The  toast  he  re- 
sponded to  was  "Young  America,"  and  never  before  or 
since  did  I  listen  to  a  more  eloquent  speech.  He  was  then 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  promising  men  of  Mel- 
bourne. He  did  not  remain  long,  however,  for  Melbourne 
was  not  then  big  enough  for  him  and  he  left  for  larger 
fields.  Our  American  population  on  the  Woolshed  com- 
prised about  thirty.  We  had  been  divided  in  opinion  as  to 
whether  the  occasion  should  be  celebrated  by  a  dinner  or 
a  ball,  but  a  compromise  was  effected  in  an  agreement  to 
have  both.  I  was  in  favor  of  the  dinner  only,  for  the  rea- 
son that  I  did  not  know  where  I  could  get  a  partner  for 
the  ball.  The  time  was  fast  approaching  and  still  no  pros- 
pect of  my  getting  a  partner,  and  I  had  nearly  abandoned 
further  efforts  in  that  direction  and  thought  to  content 
myself  by  going  without  one,  when  a  circumstance  oc- 


SEEKING  A  PARTNER.  329* 

curred  that  inspired  me  to  renewed  exertions  for  a  partner. 
There  had  been  a  theatrical  company  there  some  three 
weeks  before,  but  had  broken  up  and  scattered.  Among* 
these  were  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason.  This  lady  had  taken 
leading  parts  and  was  considered  the  star.  After  disband- 
ing, Mason  got  a  job  in  a  billiard  room  as  a  marker — 
rather  a  sudden  drop  from  King  Lear  and  Hamlet,  Prince 
of  Denmark,  down  to  a  common  billiard  marker.  At  a 
private  party  one  evening,  to  which  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  get  an  invitation,  I  met  and  was  introduced  to 
Mrs.  Mason,  "and  of  course  the  forthcoming  ball  was  an 
important  topic  of  conversation,  and  I  ventured  to  hope 
that  we  would  have  the  honor  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason's 
presence.  She  was  very  sorry  to  say  she  thought  they 
would  not  attend.  She  would  like  very  much  to  attend,  but 
it  was  so  very  expensive  that  Mr.  Mason  did  not  feel  able 
to  afford  it,  though  she  wanted  to  go  ever  so  much,  and 
this  she  repeated  over  and  over.  What  could  I  do  ?  There 
she  was,  poor  little  creature,  wanting  to  go  to  a  ball  and 
no  one  to  take  her.  Was  I  a  man  without  a  spark  of 
feeling  or  a  drop  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness  ?  No.  I  had 
been  always  taught  to  extend  the  hand  of  relief  to  a  fellow- 
sufferer  when  in  need.  Then  why  shrink  from  my  duty 
now,  when  one  stood  before  me,  and  that  one  of  the  weaker 
sex,  and  her  heart  yearning  to  attend  the  ball  ?  I  could  be 
the  instrument  of  her  accomplishing  her  heart-felt  wish. 
My  mind  was  made  up.  I  would  be  generous,  gallant. 
But  how  to  proceed  without  wounding  her  sensibilities 
was  my  difficulty.  Something  must  be  done,  and  that  at 
once.     So  I  intimated  in  the  most  delicate  terms  my  un- 


330  SECURES  AN  ACTRESS. 

tutored  mind  could  command  that  if  it  was  agreeable  to 
Mr.  Mason  and  herself  I  should  be  happy  to  be  the  escort 
of  Mrs.  Mason  on  that  delightful  occasion.  She  smiled, 
and  0,  such  a  pleasing  smile.  She  would  speak  to  Mr. 
Mason  upon  the  subject,  and  again  assured  me  how 
pleased  she  should  be  to  attend.  She  did  so  hope  that  Mr. 
Mason  would  give  his  consent.  We  parted,  I  thinking  her 
one  of  the  most  agreeable  persons  I  had  ever  met.  What 
she  thought  I  was  not  so  sure  of,  but  have  since  thought 
that  possibly  she  took  me  for  one  of  the  most  gigantic 
flats  she  ever  met.  The  next  morning  Mr.  Mason  appeared 
on  the  scene.  I  thought  of  pistols  and  coffee  for  two  But 
no,  that  could  not  be,  for  he  was  very  gracious  and  all 
smiles.  Wished  to  speak  privately  with  me.  Called  me 
aside  and  told  me  his  wife  had  informed  him  that  I  had 
very  kindly  offered  to  escort  her  to  the  ball ;  that  he  con- 
sidered it  very  kind  in  me;  that  he  never  attended  himself, 
but  his  wife  was  very  fond  of  dancing;  that  he  was  the 
very  last  man  to  debar  her  of  a  pleasure  she  so  much  doted 
on ;  but  he  was  very  particular  whom  she  went  with,  and 
that  he  deemed  it  fortunate  that  the  only  man  he  would 
have  given  his  consent  for  her  to  go  with  had  invited  her. 
I  felt  flattered  by  his  elegant  remarks,  and  we  adjourned 
to  the  counter  to  refresh  the  inner  man. 

It  occurred  to  me  that,  although  Mrs.  Mason  was  an 
actress  and  undoubtedly  had  an  abundance  of  dresses 
suitable  for  the  momentous  occasion,  still  there  might  be 
a  few  little  necessaries,  such  as  a  few  yards  of  ribbon, 
gloves,  and  so  forth,  she  might  need.  So  I  hinted  to  her 
in  as  delicate  a  manner  as  I  could  that  such  might  be  the 


HOW  SHE  DID  SHINE!  331 

case,  hoping  at  the  same  time  she  would  take  no  offense  at 
the  suggestion.    "0,  dear,  no;  no  offense  whatever."    She 
did  need  a  few  things.    I  told  her  any  time  convenient  to 
her,  she  could  walk  round  to  Miss  Reed's,  the  milliner,  and 
get  them.    She  expressed  her  willingness  to  go  at  once, 
and  we  started.    Now  I  had  had  a  little  experience  in 
milliners'  shops  for  Christmas  presents  to  the  girls  that 
waited  on  the  table  at  the  hotel,  and  it  had  generally  cost 
a  pound  for  each  of  them.    So  on  this  occasion  I  wyas 
doubly  cautious,  and  on  arriving  at  the  shop,  just  put  my 
head  in  at  the  door,  bade  Miss  Reed  good-morning,  and  told 
her  please  to  let  Mrs.  Mason  have  what  little  necessaries 
she  required  and  I  would  settle  it.     "0,  certainly  "    Now 
I  thought  I  had  got  the  start  to  limit  the  expenditure,  and 
also  of  some  others  whom  I  knew  would  likely  be  subjected 
to  an  expense  of  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds  millinery  bill. 
The  dinner  came  off  with  great  eclat— one  hundred  and 
forty  guests  at  the  table,  thirty-one  of  whom  were  Amer- 
icans.   Other  European  countries  besides  England  were 
represented.    So  our  glorious  day  was  looked  up  to  with 
respect  in  the  farthest  corner  of  the  globe.    I  congratulated 
myself  on  my  good  fortune  in  securing  an  accomplished 
society  lady  and  an  actress  for  a  partner,  one  whose  robes 
were  the  most  elaborate  and  costly,  who,  in  fact,  had  no 
rival  there  for  magnificence  of  apparel  and  splendor  of 
toilet;  and  I  secretly  vowed  I  would  always  secure  an 
actress  for  a  partner  if  there  was  one  to  be  had  upon  such 
an  occasion— and  there  always  is  upon  the  same  terms  I 
got  mine.    When  the  ball  opened,  0  how  she  did  shine — 
the  observed  of  all  observers.    The  star-spangled  banner 


332  PAYS  THE  LITTLE  BILL. 

on  the  wall,  emblem  of  my  beloved  country,  paled  and 
grew  dim  in  contrast  with  the  sweeping  train  of  my  part- 
ner. I  was  congratulated  then  and  there  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Europe  and  America.  A  day  or  two  after 
the  ball,  in  passing  down  the  street,  I  thought  I  would  call 
and  pay  Miss  Reed.  She  was  all  smiles  when  I  said  I 
had  called  to  pay  thaj:  little  bill.  I  had  a  five  pound  note 
in  my  pocket.  She  presented  the  bill,  and  judge  of  my  sur- 
prise to  find  it  twenty-seven  pounds  and  fourteen  shil- 
lings, one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  dollars,  and  I  only 
twenty-five  dollars  to  pay  it  with.  "Very  well,"  said  I, 
after  looking  for  some. time  to  ascertain  if  my  eyes  were  in 
an  eclipse  or  had  suddenly  taken  a  freak  to  magnify  about 
a  hundred  diameters,  "I  am  just  going  down  street  and 
will  call  when  I  come  back  and  settle  it."  I  went  down, 
met  Tom,  and  told  him  to  give  me  some  money.  He 
opened  his  eyes  as  wide  as  I  did  when  I  saw  Miss  Reed's 
hill.  I  told  him  I  had  met  some  old  friends  from  Ballarat 
who  were  out  of  money,  and  I  wanted  to  let  them  have 
thirty  pounds.  I  went  back,  paid  the  bill,  and  told  Miss 
Reed  I  would  give  her  five  pounds  more  if  she  would  not 
let  it  get  out.  She  laughed  and  promised  to  be  silent.  If 
it  had  got  out  I  would  have  had  to  leave  the  Woolshed, 
for  I  am  sure  I  never  could  have  endured  the  running  I 
would  have  got  from  everyone  who  knew  me. 


332 


334  DEATH  OF  NICHOLS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Ballarat— United  States  Hotel  Burned— Death  of  Nichols— Still 
on  the  Woolshed— Tom  Departs— Gunston  Again  — Scarcity  or 
Beef— After  Cattle— Incidents  of  the  Trip— A  Woman  "  Stuck 
Up  "—Robbers  in  Jail— Squatter  Stations—"  Sweat  Out  "— "  Fly- 
Blown"— "Old  Hands"  — A  Race  with  Robbers  —  Successful 
Trip— Profits  Satisfactory. 

WHEN  we  got  our  claim  open,  and  it  was  paying, 
w.e  sent  for  Walter.  There  had  been  a  great  fire 
at  Ballarat  soon  after  we  left  there.  Nichols  had  built  a 
large  hotel,  called  the  United  States.  By  some  mysterious 
means  it  took  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground.  Eleven  per- 
sons were  burned  in  it,  Nichols  himself  among  the  rest. 
He  had  once  got  out  of  the  building,  but  thought  he  could 
save  his  books,  and  returned  for  them ;  but  in  going,  the 
stairs  fell  and  let  him  through  into  the  flames,  and  there 
perished  one  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  God's  work. 
Among  the  other  ten  lost  was  the  then  great  athlete, 
Guildersleve,  who  had  come  to  Ballarat  only  the  night 
before  and  put  up  at  that  hotel  only  to  perish  in  the 
flames. 

Walter  had  now  been  with  us  some  months,  and  we  had 
not  only  worked  out  the  claim  that  Tom  and  I  had 
opened,  which  had  turned  out  as  high  as  fifty  pounds  ,per 


STICKS  TO  THE  DEVIL'S  ELBOW.  335 

share  a  week,  but  we  had  a  claim  on  Milkman's  Point— 
the  Devil's  Elbow — which  opened  up  rich  and  paid  so  well 
that  upon  the  whole  it  proved  a  good  move  when  we 
came  to  the  Woolshed.  Walter  had  a  good  offer  in  Mel- 
bourne and  wanted  I  should  go  with  him,  but  I  did  not 
wish  to  leave  the  Ovens  yet,  as  it  had  always  turned  out 
the  best  for  me;  so  he  went  without  me.  A  few  days 
after,  Tom  received  a  letter  from  home  that  his  father  was 
sick  and  probably  would  not  recover ;  he  had  worked  all 
his  days  to  accumulate  a  little  fortune,  and  lost  it  through 
a  scoundrel,  and  it  had  broken  the  old  gentleman's  heart, 
and  he  was  failing  fast.  I  hurried  Tom  off,  and  never  did 
I  before  so  much  regret  parting  with  anyone  more  than 
that  boy — for  boy  he  was,  only  eighteen.  I  was  again 
truly  alone.  Taft  had  long  since  left,  and  the  Calio  gold 
rush  had  carried  off  Costler  with  him. 

Cattle  were  then  very  scarce  around  Beech  worth,  and 
beef  was  high.  Gunston,  whom  I  mentioned  before,  upon 
our  first  arrival  in  Bendigo,  was  talking  me  into  going  up 
into  New  South  Wales,  in  the  Sidney  district.  He  knew 
where  cattle  could  be  bought  for  three  pounds  per  head, 
and  we  could  double  our  money ;  so  we  concluded  to  go. 
I  had  a  horse  that  I  thought  would  not  answer  my  pur- 
pose if  we  happened  to  be  chased  by  the  bush-rangers, 
and,  therefore,  I  sold  him  at  the  Beechworth  sale-yard. 
On  my  way  back,  on  foot,  I  took  a  cross-lot  cut  to  Reed's 
creek  to  save  about  three  miles,  or  one-half  the  distance. 
It  was  getting  dusk,  but  I  would  soon  be  down  there 
and  then  would  have  a  good  clear  road  under  the  under- 
growth of  trees  alongside  of  the  track.    Upon  arriving  at 


336  THE  WOUNDED   GERMAN. 

the  edge  of  the  timber,  two  men  jumped  out  in  front  of  me. 
But  they  were  not  quick  enough.  I  had  my  pistol  upon 
them  first.  "What  is  the  matter,  mate?"  said  one  of 
them,  "did  we  frighten  you?"  "Not  a  bit,"  said  I.  "We 
only  wanted  to  know  the  road  to  Beechworth,"  they  said. 
"You  know  it  as  well  as  I,  so  pass  on,"  still  keeping  my 
pistol  on  them,  and  my  eye  too,  as  I  told  them  to  pass  on. 
I  backed  out  of  the  path  to  let  them  pass  without  getting 
in  reach  of  me.  I  told  them  the  second  time  to  move  on ; 
they  did  so,  for  they  saw  I  had  "the  drop"  on  them.    As 

they  passed,  one  of  them  said  I  need  not  be  so  d d 

smart ;  I  might  get  taken  down  a  peg  yet ;  they  went  on, 
however.  It  was  getting  quite  dark  and  I  started  at  a 
quick  pace,  when  presently  I  heard  someone  following.  I 
thought  it  the  same  party.  I  could  hear  footsteps  as  if  in 
a  half  run.  Once  I  heard  one  say,  "How  like  h — 1  he 
walks."  When  I  came  to  a  thicket  I  thought  to  give  them 
the  slip,  and  stepped  in  and  let  them  pass.  They  did  so 
without  seeing  me  and  I  felt  relieved.  In  an  instant,  as  it 
were,  I  heard  the  report  of  a  pistol,  and  a  man  ran  past 
me  with  his  arms  up,  singing  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
"Murder."  I  called  for  him  to  stop,  but  the  more  I  called 
the  harder  he  ran,  and  I  after  him,  for  I  had  forgotten  the 
party  I  had  recently  encountered  with  so  much  alarm  — 
for  there  is  no  use  denying  it,  I  was  afraid  of  them.  The 
man  ran  until  he  fell.  WThen  I  came  up  he  begged  me  to 
spare  his  life— not  to  kill  him.  He  proved  to  be  a  German 
who  knew  me.  He  had  kept  a  restaurant  on  the  Woolshed 
and  was  going  home,  and  I  had  almost  overtaken  him 
when  I  stepped  aside  and  let  the  bush-rangers  go  by— for 


A  CATTLE  SCHEME.  337 

that  was  what  they  were.  Upon  passing  me  they  over- 
took the  German  and  shot  him.  He  was  so  frightened  he 
did  not  know  what  he  was  doing  or  which  way  he  was 
running.  They  must  have  found  out  their  mistake  as 
soon  as  they  shot  him,  they  expecting  me  to  come  to  the 
German's  rescue.  The  wound,  however,  was  of  but  little 
consequence,  as  the  ball  had  only  just  taken  a  little  flesh 
and  skin  off  from  his  ribs,  and  it  smarted.  He  thought 
sure  he  was  killed  at  first,  but  as  he  lived,  he  always  said 
I  saved  his  life,  when,  in  fact,  I  had  nearly  frightened  it 
out  of  him  by  running  after  him,  he  thinking  me  one  of 
the  bush-rangers.  I  did  not  go  to  the  Woolshed  that 
night.  The  bush-rangers  went  over  to  the  junction  of  the 
Yacandada  and  Woolshed  and  "stuck  up"  a  woman  who 
was  keeping  a  way-side  inn,  taking  from  her  thirty-five 
pounds  (one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars)  and  some 
jewelry.  The  alarm  was  given  and  the  police  were  sent  out, 
pursued  and  captured  them  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
junction,  and  brought  them  into  Beechworth  before  morn- 
ing. I  saw  them  in  jail.  They  said  I  was  the  one  they 
wanted,  but  I  got  the  drop  on  them  first,  and  they  did  not 
like  to  shoot  so  near  the  town  for  fear  of  shocking  the 
nerves  of  the  police. 

Gunston  and  I  started  for  Albury,  on  the  border  of  New 
South  Wales,  on  the  Murray  river,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Beechworth.  Here  we  purchased  two  of  the  best  horses 
we  could  find  for  sale.  At  that  early  day  there  were  no 
banks  out  of  Sidney  and  Melbourne,  and  if  one  was  going 
Into  the  country  to  buy  horses  or  cattle,  he  was  obliged 
to  take  his  money  with  him — a  very  dangerous  necessity, 


338  squatter's  checks. 

on  account  of  the  bush-whackers,  as  the  robbers  were  here 
called . 

There  were  some  persons  well  known  and  had  large 
estates  and  great  financial  standing,  who  could  of  course 
receive  deposits  and  give  their  checks  on  the  banks  of  Sid- 
ney or  Melbourne.  I  have  seen  checks  in  the  interior  of 
New  South  Wales  twelve  months  after  their  date,  that  had 
not  yet  reached  the  bank,  although  they  had  passed 
through  a  dozen  hands.  One  " squatter,"  as  these  station- 
holders  are  called,  told  me  that  he  calculated  on  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  per  cent,  of  his  checks  never  reaching  the 
bank.  They  pay  off  their  station  hands  and  sheep- 
shearers  in  checks,  which  find  their  way  directly  to  the 
public  house.  Sometimes  they  are  put  into  the  landlord's 
hands  for  safe  keeping,  for  the  chances  are  that  some  of  his 
own  pals,  as  his  friends  are  called,  will  steal  it  from  him 
before  morning,  but  more  frequently  they  set  to  work 
drinking  it  up,  never  ceasing  day  nor  night,  until  the  land- 
lord tells  him  he  must  be  off,  that  his  check  is  all  "sweat 
out,"  and  that  he  must  hunt  another  job  of  sheep-shearing. 
The  landlord,  however,  is  humane  and  generous,  turning 
him  away  not  empty,  but  fits  him  out  with  a  bottle  of 
what  is  called  "all  sorts"— that  is,  what  has  been 
left  in  the  glasses  after  drinking— it  may  be  whiskey,  rum 
or  oil.  It  all  goes  into  one  tub,  and  when  one  of  the  party 
has  become  "fly-blown,"  that  is,  his  money  all  gone,  he 
is  fitted  out  with  this  concoction  and  sent  on  his  way  to 
seek  another  job  of  shearing  or  shepherding. 

The  people  here  spoken  of  were  of  those  termed  "old 
hands  "—government  convicts,  on  ticket  of  leave.    I  rer 


A  LIFE  SAVED.  339 

member  once  meeting  one  of  these  estimable  gentlemen.  In 
traveling  I  lost  my  direction,  and  knowing  a  man  a  little 
distance  off  the  road,  went  across  to  inquire  of  him.  I 
saw  he  had  been  on  a  hard  blow,  as  it  is  termed.  He  gave 
me  the  directions  and  I  rode  on.  After  riding  about  three 
hundred  yards  I  heard  someone  calling  me,  and  looking 
around  saw  it  was  my  friend  whom  I  had  just  left.  I 
waited  until  he  came  up.  He  said  he  was  thinking  that  as 
the  road  was  so  long  and  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  find, 
that  if  I  would  save  a  life  he  would  go  and  show  me  the 
road.  "Save  a  life!  "said  I,  "what  do  you  mean?"  He 
said  he  had  been  on  a  blow,  and  had  sweat  out  his  check — 
he  had  no  money— that  the  publican  had  started  him  out 
the  day  before  with  a  bottle  of  all  sorts,  and  that  was  all 
gone,  and  he  was  nearly  dead  for  a  drink.  If  I  would  give 
him  one  when  I  came  back  he  would  go  with  me  and  show 
me  the  road,  and  would  travel  all  the  way  back  with  me, 
a  distance  of  some  seven  miles,  for  one  drink.  Yes,  I  told 
him  if  he  would  come  back  I  would  fill  his  skin  full,  and  he 
did  so.  When  I  got  back  I  told  the  landlord  to  let  him 
have  what  he  could  drink  without  getting  drunk.  The 
next  morning  before  starting,  I  saw  my  friend  of  the 
previous  day.  He  was  waiting  to  see  if  I  would  stand  a 
u  bull"  (a  drink)  before  starting  on  his  backward  journey. 
He  was  very  thankful.  Said  I  was  one  of  the  right  sort 
of  "coves,"  would  never  see  a  cove's  light  go  out  for  want 
of  oil.  I  told  the  landlord  to  give  him  a  bottle,  and  he 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

We  had  to  carry  our  money  with  us  as  we  expected  to 
travel  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  before  we  would 


340  TRAVELING  BY  MOONLIGHT. 

get  to  where  we  could  get  cattle  cheap  enough  to  pay  us 
for  bringing  them  down  to  Beechworth  at  a  profit.  The 
country  was  full  of  bush-rangers,  and  there  was  not  a 
week  but  someone  was  stuck-up,  so  it  was  necessary  for 
us  to  be  well  mounted,  that  in  case  of  meeting  any  of  those 
gentlemen  we  could  give  them  leg-bail,  if  possible.  At 
that  time  the  roads  were  also  lined  with  people  going  to 
the  diggings,  camping  along  the  road.  At  every  creek  we 
were  sure  to  meet  parties  with  drays  camped,  who  would 
stop  one  and  make  all  sorts  of  inquiries  as  to  the  roads, 
how  far  to  the  next  creek,  the  news  on  the  diggings,  if  there 
was  any  new  rush,  what  diggings  we  would  advise  them 
to  make  for — in  fact,  every  question  one  could  think  of,  sen- 
sible, simple,  foolish  and  laughable.  The  next  party  would 
be  just  the  same,  but  none  of  these  were  troubled  by  the 
rangers— they  were  going  the  wrong  way  to  have  any 
money  and  not  wrorth  bothering  with.  I  had  never  been 
over  the  country  before,  but  Gunstonhad,  and  had  brought 
cattle  down  to  Bendigo  and  had  done  well  with  them.  He 
professed  to  know  all  the  ropes,  as  he  expressed  it,  partic- 
ularly about  the  rangers ;  that  we  would  stand  in  no  fear 
of  them  after  we  left  the  Sidney  road. 

We  left  Albara  and  traveled  forty  miles  the  first  day,  to 
Ten  Mile  creek ;  the  next  day  thirty  miles,  and  to  within 
seventeen  miles  of  Gandaga.  The  day  had  been  hot  and  we 
rested  till  evening.  There  was  a  good  moon,  and  Bob  said 
the  road  was  plain,  and  that  we  could  reach  that  town  by 
nine  o'clock.  For  the  first  four  miles  it  was  up  hill.  When 
we  got  to  the  top  of  the  range  I  noticed  a  light  just  off  the 
road-side  near  a  scrub,  which  I  took  for  a  camp  of  parties 


PURSUED  BY  ROBBERS.  341 

going  to  the  diggings.  As  we  passed  they  sung  out 
to  us  to  hold  on.  I  stopped,  but  no  sooner  had  I  done  so 
than  Bob  sung  out,  "Get,  get!"  and  put  spurs  to  his 
horse.  I  was  not  long  in  following  suit.  They  mounted 
their  horses  and  followed  us  at  full  speed,  singing  out  to 
us  to  hold  up,  but  we  were  not  inclined  to  comply  with 
their  gentle  request.  Bob  was  cool,  as  he  always  was,  and 
told  me  we  had  a  long  chase  before  us,  but  not  to  hurry 
my  horse  at  first,  only  to  keep  out  of  the  reach  of  their 
shots,  for  they  would  shoot  to  frighten  us  into  stopping. 
We  had  not  gone  more  than  a  mile  when  we  came  to  where 
the  water  had  worn  a  big  gutter  in  the  road,  and  I  got  on 
the  wrong  side  of  it,  and  the  further  I  went  the  deeper  it 
got.  Bob  sung  out  for  me  to  jump  it  and  he  would  follow. 
I  was  afraid  to  try,  as  I  knew  if  I  failed  the  bush-rangers 
were  sure  to  have  me.  They  saw  my  situation  and  sung 
out,  as  I  suppose,  to  confuse  me.  But  one  more  encour- 
aging word  from  Bob  decided  me.  The  gutter  was  fully 
seven  feet  wide  and  as  deep.  I  put  both  spurs  to  my  horse 
and  sung  out  to  him  at  the  same  time,  and  over  he  took 
me  with  a  magnificent  bound.  Two  of  the  robbers  fol- 
lowed me;  the  other  three  (for  there  were  five  of  them) 
cleared  it  after  me.  The  three  discharged  their  pistols, 
whether  to  kill  or  only  to  frighten  I  don't  know,  but  the  bul- 
lets whistled  too  close  to  be  pleasant,  disturbing  the  air  in 
close  proximity  to  my  head.  I  had  got  alongside  of  Bob 
again  and  meant  to  stick  to  him.  His  motto  was  to  keep 
cool;  that  we  were  the  best  mounted,  and  if  we  did  not 
exhaust  our  horses  we  could  keep  out  of  the  range  of  their 
shots.    We  had  yet  seven  miles  to  ride.    If,  he  said,  we 


342  "didn't  catch  us." 

could  not  run  away,  we  must  stand,  wheel  and  fire— he 
taking  the  first  man  and  I  the  second.  This,  he  said,  was 
because  he  considered  me  the  best  shot.  Such  is  reputation 
without  merit.  The  robbers,  he  said,  would  hold  back, 
and  when  they  did  we  would  slacken  also.  Then  all  at 
once  they  would  make  another  rush,  come  up  and  yell  like 
so  many  fiends  from  the  lower  regions  and  fire  at  us  one 
shot  after  another.  We  returned  none  of  these  compli- 
ments, as  we  had  to  be  sparing  of  our  ammunition.  They 
followed  us  to  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the  town  of 
Gandaga. 

When  we  rode  up  to  the  hotel  Bob  jumped  off  and  ex- 
claimed with  a  laugh,  "Well,  they  did  not  catch  us."  As 
for  me,  I  did  not  feel  sufficiently  recovered  from  my  fright 
to  laugh  very  heartily,  though  I  was  greatly  rejoiced, 
for  I  candidly  confess  I  was  never  more  frightened.  The 
next  day  we  made  Yass,  a  quite  large  inland  town,  the 
second  in  size  in  New  South  Wales,  Goulbourne  being  the 
largest.  Here  we  turned  south  in  the  Manaroo  district, 
where  we  met  with  another  man  from  Ballarat,  on  the 
same  business  as  ourselves.  His  name  was  Dan  Sweeney, 
a  Canadian.  We  agreed  to  travel  together,  and  if  we 
could  buy  our  cattle  to  unite  them  in  one  drove,  which  we 
did.  At  a  station  in  Bombaloo  we  purchased  five  hundred 
head  at  twelve  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  and  started 
back,  hiring  two  stockmen  to  go  with  us.  We  had  to  be 
with  them  night  and  day,  especially  at  night,  in  case  of 
a  stampede.  The  method  of  dining  was  to  let  them  feed 
along  the  way,  just  keeping  them  on  the  course,  and 
whenever  they  want  to  camp,  let  them,  they  will  always 


A  SUCCESS.  343 

get  up  just  at  break  of  day  and  range  out  to  feed  until 
ten  o'clock,  when,  if  there  is  water,  they  will  camp  again 
till  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  up  and  feed  again 
until  dark,  then  herd  or  bunch  together  for  the  night. 
We  gave  them  their  own  time  in  driving,  for  they  were  all 
prime  beef  and  we  wanted  them  to  hold  their  own,  for  if 
we  rushed  them  they  were  sure  to  waste.  They  were  all 
from  five  to  seven  years  old,  full  grown  and  a  fine  lot,  and 
we  expected  a  good  profit  on  them  if  got  down  in  good 
condition.  Sweeney  was  to  pay  one-half  the  expenses, 
and  we  saved  the  expense  of  two  stock  men  by  driving  to- 
gether. I  give  these  particulars  to  illustrate  the  difference 
between  driving  cattle  in  that  country  and  this.  We  were 
about  twenty-five  days  on  the  road.  At  Beechworth  we 
divided  the  drove  and  Sweeney  took  his  down  to  Ballarat. 
We  had  made  up  our  minds  if  there  was  not  a  ready  sale 
to  take  them  on  to  Bendigo,  or  hold  them  over  for  a 
month  at  Bowman's  Forest,  the  feed  being  good  there. 
But  we  had  not  that  trouble,  for  as  soon  as  the  word  got 
out  that  there  was  a  drove  of  fat  bullocks  near  Beech- 
worth,  the  butchers  from  there  and  from  Buckland,  Yac- 
ananda  and  Wangarata  came  in,  and  in  less  than  two 
weeks  we  had  sold  out,  clearing  about  double  on  our 
investment  and  all  expenses  besides.  One  would  wonder, 
perhaps,  if  the  enterprise  paid  so  well,  why  others  did  not 
go  into  the  business.  The  truth  is,  the  risk  was  too  great 
of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  bush-rangers.  Then  one 
might  make  a  dozen  trips  and  not  have  the  luck  we  had ; 
might  have  a  stampede  of  the  cattle,  and  not  so  good  a 


344-  PRICES  AFFECTED  BY  THE  SEASOW. 

market.  The  season  of  the  year  had  much  to  do  with  it ; 
if  dry,  the  price  runs  up  and  people  will  not  sell  as  they  do 
here,  as  it  costs  nothing  to  keep  them,  for  they  get  their 
own  living  the  year  round. 


SICK  AGAIN.  345 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Sick  Again— Gunston  Goes  Another  Trip— Incident— Leave  Wool- 
shed  for  Melbourne— Delirious— My  Nurse— The  Washerwoman 
—Recovery— First  Staging— Concord  Coaches— Cobb  &  Company 
—Forbes  &  Company— Davis  &  Cooper— Enter  Davis  &  Com- 
pany's Service— Impounding  Horses— The  Rescue— The  Outcome 
—Watson  &  Hewitt— Excitement  of  Coaching. 

GUNSTON  was  anxious  to  return  on  another  cattle  ex- 
pedition at  once,  not  more  so,  perhaps,  than  I  was ; 
but  just  at  the  time  we  contemplated  starting  I  was  taken 
sick.  Bob  waited  for  me  four  weeks,  when  the  doctors  told 
us  both  there  was  no  chance  of  my  being  able  for  the 
journey  for  months.  In  the  meantime,  Sweeney  came  back 
from  Ballarat,  having  disposed  of  his  drove,  and  had  done 
equally  as  well  as  we  had.  He  wanted  Bob  to  join  him; 
so  they  started,  leaving  me  behind  sick,  where  I  lay  for 
months,  given  up  by  the  doctors  for  a  time,  and  by  myself 
likewise.  Sweeney  and  Bob  had  rather  a  loud  call  from 
the  bush-rangers  this  time.  They  put  up  one  night  at  a 
hotel  called  the  Pick  and  Shovel.  After  they  had  gone  to 
bed  and  had  both  been  asleep  some  time,  they  were  awak- 
ened by  someone  trying  to  enter  their  room.  The  lock 
had  been  tampered  with,  and  so  before  going  to  bed  they 
had  placed  a  chair  against  the  door  in  such  a  manner  as 


346  GOES  TO  MELBOURNE. 

to  tip  over  at  the  least  opening.  They  had  been  suspicious 
of  the  looks  of  the  proprietor  and  all  hands  around  the 
house,  and  were  cautious.  They  heard  two  or  more  per- 
sons outside  the  door  whispering.  Sweeney  heard  them 
first,  waked  Bob,  and  they  listened .  Soon  the  chair  tipped, 
and  at  that  instant  they  let  drive  at  the  door  two  shots 
each.  They  heard  them  run,  one  saying  "The  bloody 
wretches  have  done  for  me."  Bob  called  for  them  to  come 
back,  that  they  had  plenty  more  pills  for  them.  When 
they  went  to  bed  they  had  noticed  that  they  had  been  left 
with  only  a  half-inch  of  candle,  and  hence  their  strong  sus- 
picions and  the  precaution  of  placing  the  chair  against  the 
door.  In  the  morning  the  landlord  never  mentioned  the 
subject,  nor  did  the  boys  until  they  were  about  to  leave, 
when  Bob  told  him  that  it  was  nothing  for  them  to  riddle 
a  door  or  two,  and  a  man  or  two  for  that  matter,  if  they 
got  in  the  way. 

The  boys  did  not  do  as  well  on  the  second  "mob"  of 
cattle  as  we  did  on  the  first,  although  they  cleared  them- 
selves. Gunston  went  to  New  South  Wales  and  I  never 
saw  him  afterwards,  but  often  heard  of  him.  The  last 
time  I  was  saddened  by  the  intelligence  that  he  had  lost 
all,  and  was  earning  his  livelihood  by  day's  work— a  hard 
fate  for  a  man  more  than  seventy  years  old ;  but  so  runs 
the  life  of  mortals  here  below— those  most  deserving  many 
times  get  on  the  poorest,  at  least,  I  feel  it  so  in  poor  Bob's 
case. 

I  remained  on  the  Woolshed  some  three  months,  and 
it  now  seeme  to  me  I  must  try  to  get  away.  It  was 
two  hundred  miles  to  Melbourne,  and  it  took  the  coach 


MY  DOCTOR  AND  NURSE.  347 

two  days  and  nights  to  make  the  journey.  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  try  the  change,  although  everyone  thought 
me  mad  to  undertake  the  journey.  The  coach  agent 
agreed  that  I  could  stop  over  at  any  place  I  wished 
to  rest  at.  The  fare  was  fourteen  pounds,  or  seventy  dol- 
lars. The  first  day  I  rode  the  whole  time,  but  the  next 
morning  at  four  o'clock  I  was  not  able  to  come  to  time, 
and  laid  over  for  the  day.  The  second  day  I  rode  through, 
but  for  the  last  twenty  miles  on  the  laps  of  two  passengers. 
Upon  arriving  at  Melbourne  there  was  a  person  at  the 
coach  office  who  knew  me  and  took  charge  of  me,  for,  to 
tell  the  truth,  I  could  not  take  care  of  myself,  neither  did 
I  care  what  became  of  me,  but  Meggs— for  that  was  his 
name— knew  where  to  take  me.  The  girl  that  took  care 
of  me  when  I  came  to  Melbourne  sick  before,  was  now 
married  and  kept  a  hotel  of  her  own,  and  it  was  there  he 
took  me.  They  at  once  sent  for  Dr.  Gilbey,  an  eminent 
physician  of  the  city. 

One  may  talk  of  sisters' love  and  kindness,  but  never  did 
a  sister  devote  more  kindly  attention  to  a  brother  than 
Mrs.  Chisholm  did  to  me.  I  believe  that  but  for  her  I 
would  not  now  be  alive.  Dr.  Gilbey  advised  me  to  go  into 
a  hospital,  which  were  even  then  excellent  in  that  country, 
yet  I  objected  and  told  him  if  he  wanted  the  money  for 
his  visits  every  time,  he  could  have  it,  but  if  I  went  into 
the  hospital  I  should  die.  He  said  it  was  not  the  money, 
but  that  I  would  have  better  care  than  at  a  hotel.  I  told 
him  I  got  all  the  care  I  needed.  He  afterwards  said  that 
had  I  been  sent  to  the  hospital  in  my  nervous  condition 
and  against  my  will,  I  probably  would  have  died.    In  a 


348  BECOMES  DELIRIOUS. 

week  I  became  delirious  arid  for  many  days  and  nights 
got  not  a  wink  of  sleep.  The  idea  possessed  my  brain 
that  someone  was  trying  to  get  into  my  room  and  get 
under  my  bed,  and  if  they  succeeded  it  was  fatal  to  me ; 
that  my  only  chance  was  to  keep  awake  and  fight  them. 
I  told  the  doctor  and  my  friends,  who  tried  to  persuade 
me  out  of  the  delusion ;  but  it  was  of  no  use— I  could  see 
them.  All  the  medicine  bottles  left  within  my  reach  I 
shied  at  my  imaginary  enemies— and  even  the  pillows. 
The  more  my  friends  tried  to  persuade  me  out  of  my  hallu- 
cination, the  worse  I  got,  until  even  the  doctor  said  I 
could  not  hold  out  but  a  day  or  two  longer,  and  I  now 
think  I  would  not  but  for  an  old  Irish  washerwoman,  at 
work  in  the  house,  who  heard  of  the  sick  man  upstairs 
that  was  going  to  die,  and  wanted  to  see  me,  and  they  let 
her  come.  I,  of  course,  related  my  troubles  to  her  as  I  did 
to  everyone.  But  she,  unlike  the  others,  did  not  try  to 
persuade  me  out  of  my  delusion,  but  perfectly  agreed  with 
me,  and  volunteered  to  help  me  turn  them  out  of  the  room, 
and  looked  under  the  bed  and  assured  me  that  we  had 
them  all  out.  From  that  moment  the  washerwoman  and  I 
were  friends.  She  agreed  to  watch  and  keep  them  out. 
She  insisted  that  she  should  have  the  first  watch  and  I 
was  to  sleep ;  then  she  would  wake  me  and  then  she  was 
to  sleep.  After  this  compact  was  signed  and  sealed  I 
went  to  sleep,  and  slept  until  they  dared  not  let  me  sleep 
any  longer.  When  they  woke  me  my  mind  was  all  right, 
but  I  was  too  weak  to  move.  I  was  told  that  at  one  time 
they  held  a  looking-glass  to  my  face  to  ascertain  if  there 
was  yet  breath.    I  have  always  believed  that  the  instinc- 


349 


350  STAGING. 

tive  good  sense  and  ingenious  methods  of  that  old 
woman,  in  dealing  with  the  vagaries  of  my  diseased  brain, 
saved  me  from  absolute  insanity  and  premature  death. 

Many  times  since  then  when  I  have  seen  persons  labor- 
ing under  similar  delusions,  I  have  made  it  a  point  to 
agree  with  them,  for  they  think  they  see  what  they  profess 
to  and  are  honest  in  such  convictions.    Nothing  would 
irritate  a  sane  person  more  than  to  have  a  person  step 
up  and  dispute  his  honest  assertion,  and  the  result  is  the 
same  with  a  delirious  person,  and  to  contradict  him  is 
worse  than  contradicting  one  of  a  sane  mind.    From  that 
time  on  I  gradually  gained  strength,  but  it  was  thirteen 
months  before  I  could  pursue  any  employment.    When  I 
did  recover  I  went  into  the  service  of  Cobb  &  Company. 
Freeman  Cobb  came  from  Boston  and  brought  with  him 
two  Concord  coaches,  each  capable  of  carrying  fourteen 
passengers.     He  put  them  on  between  Melbourne  and 
Sandridge  Beech,  a  distance  of  three  miles,  for  which  the 
charge  was  half  a  crown  each  passenger.    One  can  readily 
see  how  fast  he  was  making  money  when  they  were  both 
loaded  each  way  as  fast  as  they  were  able  to  make  the  trips, 
at  sixt}r-two  and  a  half  cents,  or  eight  dollars  and  seventy- 
five  cents  each  trip.    It  was  not  long  before  he  extended 
his  field  and  put  on  a  line  of  coaches  to  Bendigo  and 
Castlemain,  the  distance  to  the  former  being  one  hundred 
miles,  and  the  fare  ten  pounds  or  fifty  dollars.    At  first 
it  took  two  days  to  make  the  distance,  stopping  for  the 
night  at  Kinton ;  but  soon  the  route  paid  so  well  that  they 
put  on  relays  of  horses  and  made  the  distance  in  one  day, 
and  soon  the  business  necessitated  another  coach. 


STAGE  COMPANIES.  351 

At  Geelong,  Antony,  Forbes  &  Company  started  a  line 
to  Ballarat,  fifty-four  miles,  charging  seven  pounds 
(thirty-five  dollars),  soon  followed  by  an  opposition  line 
but  both  had  all  the  passengers  they  could  carry,  and 
many  times  passengers  would  book  two  or  three  days  in 
advance,  and  I  have  known  people  pay  as  high  as  one 
hundred  dollars  for  some  other  passenger's  ticket.  In  the 
course  of  a  year,  however,  there  were  as  many  as  three 
lines  of  coaches  between  Geelong  and  Ballarat,  each  line 
running  two  or  three  coaches  each  way  daily.  Cobb  & 
Company  kept  on  the  Melbourne  and  Bendigo  route  for 
about  eighteen  months,  when  they  sold  out  to  one  Davis, 
whose  first  name  I  have  forgotten.  Cobb  went  back  to 
Boston,  having,  it  was  said,  cleared  fifty  thousand  pounds 
or  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  which  he  took 
back  with  him,  but  left  his  name  behind,  for  the  coaches 
still  keep  the  name  of  Cobb  &  Co. 

Davis  began  on  the  Melbourne  wharf  with  a  single 
horse  and  dray  and  worked  up  from  nothing,  as  they  say. 
He  soon  got  his  second  and  third  horse  and  dray, and  so 
on  until  he  possessed  twenty  or  more  such  teams,  and  when 
the  St.  Kilda  railroad  contract  was  let,  he  got  it.  It 
was  a  short  road  of  only  three  miles,  but  he  managed 
to  clear  "big  money,"  and  then  bought  out  Cobb  &  Com- 
pany and  ran  the  coaches  under  the  old  name,  associating 
with  him  Mr.  Cooper,  a  druggist  on  Collins  street.  Not 
content  with  coaching  alone,  Davis  went  into  the  hide 
business.  It  was  in  the  time  of  the  Crimean  war,  and 
hides  went  up  to  an  astonishing  price,  and  he  cleared  on 
his  first   shipment  a  large  sum.     This  induced  him  to 


352  RECOVERY  AND  EMPLOYMENT. 

venture  more  and  he  undertook  to  monopolize  the  whole 
trade;  but  he  failed,  the  war  closed,  hides  went  down,  he 
lost  fearfully,  his  creditor  came  down  on  him,  and  then  he 
went  up  higher  than  Gilderoy's  kite.  Before  he  failed  he 
had  bought  out  all  the  other  lines  of  coaches,  had  got  all 
the  government  mails,  and  people  supposed  he  was  on 
the  way  to  a  rapid  and  immense  fortune.  This  was  the 
state  of  the  coaching  business  in  Australia  at  that  time. 

I  had  now  sufficiently  recovered  from  my  long  sickness  to 

enter  active  service,  and  went  to  work  for  the  Cobb  &  Co. 

line  of  coaches.    My  first  job  was  to  take  fifty-two  head 

of  horses  that  were  considered  unfit  for  the  roads,  up  to 

Ballarat  and  sell  them  to  the  diggers  to  work  on  their 

puddling  machines,  or  to  anyone  else,  so  I  got  the  money 

for  them.    The  first  day  I  got  to  Bachu's  Marsh,  about 

thirty  miles  on  my  way,  and  put  them  in  a  paddock,  or 

pasture,  as  we  call  it.    The  next  morning  I  found  every 

horse  was  out  of  the  paddock  and  gone.    I  looked  around 

and  found  that  someone  had  let  the  slip  rails  down  and 

they  had  gone  into  another  paddock,  and  that  the  owner 

of  that  paddock  had  all  my  horses  secure  in  his  stock-yard 

to  take  to  the  pound.    I  went  to  the  owner  and  told  him 

I  saw  he  had  my  horses  in  his  yard,  and  asked  what 

damages  he  claimed.    I  knew  he  had  no  right  to  charge 

more  than  one  shilling  and  sixpence  a  head.    He  asked  me 

if  I  was  prepared  to  pay  the  damages.    I  said  I  was,  if 

they  were  reasonable.    He  said  he  did  not  know  how  much 

he  could  collect,  but  he  was  going  to  all  the  law  would 

allow,  and  put  me  to  all  the  trouble  and  expense  he  could; 
that  Davis  had  served  him  a  mean  trick,  and  he  intended 


HORSES  IMPOUNDED.  353 

to  get  even  with  him  now  he  had  a  chance.  I  told  him  if 
Davis  had  done  him  wrong  it  did  not  become  him  to  do 
me  an  injury.  He  said  I  was  one  of  Davis'  hounds,  and  he 
thought  as  little  of  me  as  he  did  of  Davis.  I  told  him  that 
although  I  was  employed  by  Davis,  I  was  no  hound,  and 
was  willing,  rather  than  be  detained,  to  pay  him  five 
pounds,  which  was  more  than  he  could  collect  by  law. 
But  he  would  not  let  me  have  the  horses,  and  still  kept  up 
his  abuse  both  of  Davis  and  myself  until  human  endur- 
ance could  bear  it  no  longer.  At  last  I  told  the  boy  that 
was  with  me  to  let  down  the  slip  panels,  and  as  he  rode  up 
to  do  so  the  man  struck  at  him  with  a  pole  he  had  in  his 
hand.  I  saw  he  was  going  to  hurt  the  boy,  and  jumped  my 
horse  in  between  and  received  the  full  force  of  the  bow 
myself,  which  had  the  desired  effect  of  raising  my  temper. 
I  jumped  from  my  horse  and  told  him  I  would  show  him 
that  one  of  Davis'  hounds  would  not  stand  beating  like  a 
common  cur.  I  will  give  him  the  credit  of  not  acting  like 
a  coward,  for  as  soon  as  I  was  on  my  feet  he  dropped  the 
pole  and  took  the  attitude  and  elevated  his  clinched  hands 
in  the  style  of  an  experienced  pugilist.  In  that  day  such  a 
demonstration  did  not  alarm  me,  and  we  exchanged  a  few 
brief  compliments,  not  as  amateurs,  but  in  a  business  way, 
when  suddenly  he  fell  to  the  ground.  I  insisted  on  his  rest- 
ing there  for  awhile,  though  much  against  his  inclination, 
and  I  stood  over  him  a  few  minutes  to  see  that  he  sur- 
vived the  paralytic  shock.  In  the  meantime,  the  boy  had 
not  been  idle.  He  had  secured  the  horse  I  rode,  then 
dropped  the  slip-panels,  and  the  horses  came  rushing  out 
just  at  the  moment  when  my  pugilistic  friend,  unhappily 


354  THE  RESCUE. 

for  him,  had  another  fall,  and  I  had  to  pull  him  out  of  the 
way,  or  he  would  have  been  trampled  under  their  feet.  I 
was  afterwards  sorry  I  did  not  let  him  feel  their  hoofs. 

The  horses  being  all  out,  I  jumped  onto  my  horse  and 
we  followed  them.    Two  broke  out  from  the  drove  (or 
mob  as  it  was  called)  and  ran  for  another  part  of  the 
pasture.    I  told  the  boy  to  follow  the  mob  and  I  would 
bring  in  the  other  two.    In  the  meantime  Pettit— for  that 
was  his  name— had  raised  a  cry  for  help,  and  three  men 
came  at  his  call.    They  followed  me  with  long  poles,  and 
as  I  would  bring  up  the  horses  they  would  head  them  off. 
There  was  a  big  ditch  which,  if  I  could  make  the  horses 
leap  it  I  could  get  clear  of  them,  never  thinking  but  that 
my  horse  would  follow,  for  he  was  a  fine  one.     I  got 
the  two  across,  but  when  I  had  put  my  own  to  it  he 
jumped  down  into  the  ditch,  and  there  he  stood  stock 
still.    They  saw  my  fix  and  made  a  rush  for  me.    Seeing 
them  coming  I  put  the  spurs  to  my  horse;  he  made  an 
effort  to  climb  out,  the  stirrup  leather  came  out,  the  sad- 
dle turned,  and  off  I  came,  bringing  with  me  one  of  the 
stirrups  and  strap  hanging  to  my  foot.    Pettit  and  his 
men  were  now  close  on  me,  only  the  ditch  between  us.    I 
seized  my  stirrup  and  strap  and  sprang  to  the  bank  to 
meet  them,  swinging  the  stirrup  over  my  head  and  calling 
to  them  to  come  on,  that  I  was  good  for  them  all.    At 
the  same  time  I  would  have  given  all  the  old  boots  and 
shoes  I  ever  had,  and  thrown  in  a  new  pair,  to  have  been 
out  of  there;  but  the  bold  stand  I  took  won  the  day,  for  it 
brought  them  to  a  halt,  and  there  I  stood  challenging 
them  to  come,  and  calling  them  cowards,  while  my  heart 


WARRANT  ISSUED.  355 

was  in  my  mouth  for  fear  they  would  come.  My  horse 
ran  straight  to  the  mob  and  the  boy  got  him  and 
brought  him  back,  and  I  was  not  long  in  getting  on,  never 
stopping  to  put  the  stirrup  in  place  until  I  was  at  a  safe 
distance  from  them.  I  did  not  tarry  long  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, but  hastened  on  my  journey. 

We  made  Ballarat  that  night,  and  the  next  day  com- 
menced selling  horses,  disposing  of  the  lot  in  three  days. 
In  the  evening  of  the  third  day  I  was  indulging  in  a  game 
of  billiards  with  a  gentleman  from  Bachus'  Marsh,  the 
place  where  the  horses  were  rescued.  He  was  the  magis- 
trate there.  "By  the  way,  Ferguson,"  said  he,  "just 
before  I  left  I  issued  a  warrant  for  your  arrest  for  rescuing 
horses  that  were  guarded  for  the  purpose  of  being  taken 
to  the  pound.  I  would  advise  you  not  to  return  that 
way,  for  the  police  will  be  on  the  lookout  for  your  coming 
by  the  coach."  However,  I  did  go  back  on  the  coach,  but 
before  going  through  Bachus' Marsh  I  changed  coats  with 
the  driver,  took  the  reins  and  drove  up  to  the  hotel. 
There  stood  the  policeman  with  warrant,  all  ready  to  arrest 
me.  He  scanned  the  passengers  closely,  but  to  his  evident 
disappointment  I  was  not  among  them,  he  never  for  an 
instant  suspecting  that  the  coach-driver  was  the  very  man 
he  wanted.  We  had  dinner  and  left  for  Melbourne.  The 
boy  Was  not  so  fortunate.  He  stopped  there  afterwards, 
on  his  way  back,  helping  to  drive  some  cattle,  and  old 
Pettit  had  him  arrested.  It  frightened  the  poor  boy 
nearly  out  of  his  wits.  The  hotel-keeper  went  his  bail  for 
appearance  the  next  day,  and  sent  down  word  to  me.  I 
•came  up,  getting  there  while  the  trial  was  going  on ;  went 


356  ARRESTED  AND  BOUND  OYER. 

in,  testified,  took  all  the  blame  upon  myself,  and  the  boy 
was  discharged. 

The  policeman  was  waiting  near  the  hotel  to  arrest  me 
when  I  should  come  from  the  court.  I  had  anticipated  his 
attachment  for  my  person,  and  feeling  that  I  could  not 
conveniently  devote  a  day's  time  to  the  enjoyment  of  his 
society,  I  mounted  a  horse  which  had  been  brought  around 
to  me  from  the  hotel,  and  was  off.  The  baffled  policeman 
called  after  me  as  though  he  wanted  to  tell  me  something. 
There  are  moments  when  one's  mind  is  too  much  absorbed 
in  business  affairs  to  hearken  even  unto  the  voice  of  the 
centurion .  I  knew,  of  course,  that  I  would  be  caught  sooner 
or  later,  but  for  the  present  I  could  amuse  myself  and  annoy 
the  noble  Pettit  at  one  and  the  same  time.  The  matter  was 
quiet  for  several  weeks.  Pettit  could  hear  of  me  almost 
daily,  and  if  the  police  wanted  me  they  knew  where  to  pick 
me  up ;  but  they  did  not  want  me.  At  last  I  was  obliged 
to  go  through  that  place,  and  having  become  tired  of 
dodging,  I  let  them  take  me.  The  landlord  went  bail  for 
my  appearance  the  next  day,  when  I  was  bound  over  to 
take  my  trial  at  the  next  term  of  the  criminal  court  on  the 
charge  of  rescuing  horses  from  John  Pettit,  in  his  possession 
for  the  purpose  of  being  taken  to  the  public  pound. 

It  was  not  till  then  that  I  had  found  out  how  serious 
was  such  a  charge.  Penalty,  fifty  pounds  ($250)  and  six 
months  imprisonment,  in  the  discretion  of  the  court.  In 
due  time  the  case  was  heard.  Pettit  swore  he  demanded 
only  the  legal  fees,  that  I  refused  to  pay  anything,  declar- 
ing that  I  would  have  them  by  fair  means  or  foul  without 
paying  a  cent.    His  band  of  men  corroborated  him  in  some 


THE  RESULT.  357 

of  the  particulars  of  the  rescue.  It  was  in  vain  for  the  boy 
to  testify  against  three;  and  in  the  colonies  the  prisoner 
cannot  be  sworn — he  is  permitted  only  to  make  a  state- 
ment. I  acknowledged  taking  the  horses,  and  told  my 
story  exactly  as  the  affair  happened.  Although  Brother 
Pettit  was  a  Wesleyan  class  leader,  the  judge  commented 
somewhat  severely  on  his  conduct  and  testimony,  intimat- 
ing that  my  unsworn  statements  seemed  more  truthful 
than  his  sworn  testimony ;  but  as  the  evidence  stood,  on 
the  whole,  he  was  compelled  to  impose  the  fine  of  fifty 
pounds.  I  paid  it  with  the  consolation  that  Pettit  got 
none  of  it,  besides  having  had  all  his  trouble  for  nothing, 
and  lost  the  five  pounds  I  had  offered  him  in  the  beginning. 
Truly,  avarice  even  hath  its  reward.  Mr.  Davis  paid  all 
my  expenses  and  the  fine  cheerfully,  and  fully  justified  me 
in  all  I  had  done — only  facetiously  blaming  me  for  pulling 
Pettit  out  from  under  the  horses'  feet  when  they  were  run- 
ning over  him.  I  remained  in  his  employ  some  seven 
months,  and  until  his  misfortunes  came  and  his  creditors 
closed  down  upon  him.  He  was  a  good  man  at  heart,  and 
I  believe  an  honest  man,  but  his  sudden  downfall  affected 
his  mind.  He  became  involved  in  some  criminal  charges, 
left  the  country  and  went  to  California,  where  he  soon 
after  died. 

Such  had  been  the  confidence  in  the  responsibility  of 
Davis,  that  his  many  employes  had  made  him  their  banker 
and  left  their  earnings  and  accumulations  in  his  hands, 
thinking  them  as  safe  there  as  in  any  bank  in  Melbourne. 
They  had  been  getting  the  highest  wages  paid  in  the  colony. 
Overseers  and  agents,  twenty  pounds  a  week ;  night  mail 


358  STAGE  COMPANY  RECEIVERSHIP. 

coach-drivers,  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  per  week;  grooms, 
from  five  to  seven  pounds ;  but  when  the  word  came  that 
Davis  had  failed,  they  were  not  only  surprised,  but  many 
of  them  with  families  were  greatly  distressed.  A  man 
named  Walker  was  appointed  receiver,  who  continued  the 
coaching  about  six  weeks,  and  I  don't  think  there  was  ever 
before  so  much  stealing  in  the  Australian  colonies  in  the 
same  length  of  time  as  there  was  under  the  Cobb  &  Com- 
pany coach  receivership.  There  was  not  an  agent  or  driver 
but  what  had  lost  in  wages  from  two  hundred  to  one 
thousand  pounds,  and  he  was  bound  to  make  it  up ;  and 
had  the  receivership  been  continued  for  four  months,  the 
agents  and  drivers  could  have  bought  out  the  estate  and 
paid  handsomely  for  it,  for  they  were  getting  most  of  the 
receipts.  Just  at  this  time  Watson  &  Hewett  made  the 
creditors  an  offer  of  about  one-third  of  the  value  of  the 
rolling  stock,  taking  the  government  mail  contracts  off 
their  hands,  which  were  paying  an  enormous  profit,  besides 
the  passenger  traffic,  which  'was  accepted,  and  a  sudden 
stop  was  put  to  all  way-money  swindling  and  everything 
else  irregular. 

George  Watson,  the  principal  in  the  new  coaching  firm, 
was  a  true  Irish  gentleman,  well  known  and  respected 
by  everyone  in  Melbourne.  He  was  a  famous  racing 
man,  and  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  cross  country 
rider  after  the  hounds  in  the  Australian  colonies,  and  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  and  patrons  of  the  Melbourne  race- 
course, and  holds  an  honorable  position  in  that  association 
unto  this  day.  He  is  now  over  seventy  years  of  age,  and 
has  been  a  prominent  figure  on  the  Flemington  course 


STAGING  PROFITS.  359 

for  nearly  forty  years.  Cyrus  Hewitt  was  an  American 
from  the  state  of  New  York,  and  had  long  been  superin- 
tendent for  Cobb  &  Company,  and  was  continued  in  that 
position  under  Davis  till  his  failure.  Where  he  got  the 
money  to  buy  into  the  concern  was  always  a  mystery  to 
me  and  a  puzzle  to  everybody  else,  for  apparently  he  had 
nothing,  having  even  lost  his  wages  deposited  or  undrawn 
in  the  hands  of  Davis. 

Watson  &  Hewitt  purchased  the  Beechworth  line  of 
coaches,  and  I  went  upon  that  road.  The  mail  contract 
alone  was  twenty  thousand  pounds  a  year,  and  the 
passenger  traffic  was  one  hundred  and  seven  pounds  a 
day  for  the  twelve  months  I  was  on  the  road.  The  work- 
ing expenses  were  ninety-three  pounds,  leaving  a  profit 
of  fourteen  pounds  'a  day,  over  and  above  the  mail  con- 
tract. After  eighteen  months  they  sold  out  for  twenty- 
two  thousand  pounds.  I  give  these  figures  to  show  the 
enormous  profit  there  was  in  the  coaching  business  in 
that  day.  They  also  had  a  contract  with  the  government 
of  India  for  the  supply  of  horses  during  the  Sepoy  rebel- 
lion, for  which  they  received  thirty-seven  pounds  per  head, 
delivered  aboard  ship,  which  did  not  cost  one-half  that 
amount.  I  was  employed  by  them  during  that  contract. 
In  the  course  of  one  year  they  turned  over  to  the  agent 
of  the  government  over  four  thousand  head  of  horses  at 
that  rate  of  profit. 

No  business  had  so  much  excitement  in  it  as  coaching, 
especially  on  the  Beechworth  road.  I  knew  most  all  the 
passengers  and  was  constantly  meeting  old  friends.  The 
route  was  two  hundred  miles  long,  and  the  trip  had  to  be 


360  EXCITEMENT  OF  COACHING. 

made  within  the  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  a  constant, 
bustle  and  hurry.  Each  driver  had  his  subdivision  of 
about  fifty  miles.  It  was  not  altogether  without  danger  r 
for  once  in  a  while  there  was  a  case  of  mail  robbery.  I 
have  a  vivid  recollection  of  an  incident  that  occurred  on 
the  Beech  worth  road  while  I  was  on  it.  At  Talarook 
forest,  some  fifty  miles  out  of  Melbourne  and  about  five 
miles  from  any  station,  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  a  man  jumped  out  and  seized  my  lead  horses. 
We  had  large  reflecting  lights  and  thereby  I  saw  his  first 
move  and  pulled  up  the  wheelers  before  getting  entangled. 
with  the  leaders.  In  an  instant  I  had  my  pistol  on  him,, 
and  told  him  to  let  go  or  I  would  shoot  him.  He  seemed 
to  be  alarmed  or  confused  at  my  covering  him  so  quickly, 
and  said  he  wanted  a  passage  to  Kilmore.  I  told  him  he 
came  near  getting  a  passage  to  a  hotter  place,  and 
advised  him  never  to  experiment  in  that  way  again.  I 
still  kept  him  covered  with  my  revolver,  and  told  him  to 
give  me  one  pound  and  jump  in.  He  pulled  out  a  roll  of 
notes  of  enormous  size  and  handed  me  one,  which  I  put 
in  my  outside  pocket  without  looking  at  it.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  next  change  of  horses  I  put  on  the  way- 
bill—"one  pick-up,  one  pound  to  Kilmore."  I  thought 
nothing  more  of  it  till  one  of  the  passengers  told  me  that 
the  fellow  that  got  into  the  coach  on  the  road,  jumped 
out  before  we  had  gone  a  mile. 

When  arriving  at  Melbourne  it  was  usual  to  hand  in  the 
way-bill  and  what  money  we  had  picked  up  on  the  road. 
I  did  so,  and  the  agent  called  me  and  said  I  was  one  pound 
short.    I  looked  at  the  way-bill,  and  I  knew  at  once  where 


MAIL  ROBBERY.  361 

the  missing  pound  was,  and  went  to  my  coat  pocket  and 
pulled  out  the  note,  when,  to  my  surprise,  it  proved  to  be  a 
twenty  pound  note.  I  paid  the  one  pound  out  of  my  own 
money,  thinking  that  the  first  man  I  would  meet  when 
I  got  back  toKilmore  would  be  my  passenger  of  Talarook, 
for  it  did  not  occur  to  me  what  the  other  passenger  had 
said  about  his  jumping  out.  But  I  never  met  him  again, 
and  my  conscience  never  troubled  me  for  keeping  the  nine- 
teen pounds  surplus. 

The  day  after  the  above  occurrence  I  received  a  message 
from  the  road  manager  to  come  up  to  the  other  end  of  the 
route,  and  of  course  someone  had  to  drive  back  in  my 
place.  This  driver  was  Frank  May.  As  he  approached 
the  same  place,  he  was  stopped  in  the  same  way  by  three 
other  men.  One  held  the  horses,  one  covered  the  driver 
with  his  pistol,  while  the  third  went  through  the  passen- 
gers. They  took  forty -three  pounds  from  the  driver,  and 
all  the  mail  bags,  and  left  for  the  forest.  One  of  them  was 
soon  caught.  He  had  been  a  groom  for  the  company.  He 
turned  Queen's  evidence  against  the  two  others,  and  also 
said  that  they  had  intended  to  " stick  it  up"  two  nights 
before,  but  the  damned  Yankee  was  too  quick  and  covered 
them  first.  The  two  were  tried  and  hung  for  robbing  her 
majesty's  mail,  and  what  became  of  the  one  who  turned 
Queen's  evidence  I  never  knew.  If  I  had  had  my  way  I 
would  have  let  the  other  two  hang  him  first,  for  he  got  the 
others  to  do  the  job  and  then  took  good  care  to  save  him- 
self when  "pinched,"  which  is  colonial  slang  for  caught. 
For  several  years  hardly  a  month  passed  without  a  mail 
robbery,  the  largerst  being  on  the  New  South  Wales  side. 


362  THE  HORSE-TAMING  FEVER. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Rarry's  Exploits— Horse-Taming— Furor  in  the  Colonies— Observa- 
tions in  Boyhood— The  Secret  No  Secret— Could  Do  the  Same 
—Tried  and  Succeeded  — Horsemen  Astonished— Public  Exhibi- 
tion —  Handsome  Receipts  —  Exhibit  in  the  Principal  Cities  — 
Jerry  Luther  and  the  Ladies— Benefit  for  the  Schools— The 
Lunch— The  Wild  Horse  and  His  Fair  Rider. 

IN  1857  the  English  papers  that  came  to  the  colonies 
were  full  of  the  accounts  of  John  A.  Rarry's  wonderful 
and  mysterious  exploits  as  a  tamer  of  vicious  horses — 
among  the  many  being  Prince  Albert's  celebrated  Cruso. 
As  all  who  were  privileged  to  witness  his  exhibitions  were 
tinder  bonds  of  honor  to  keep  the  secret,  the  outside  world 
was  kept  in  ignorance  of  his  process.  The  colonial  papers 
copied  these  accounts  and  wrote  ponderous  editorials  on 
the  powers  of  the  horse  wizard,  and  the  biography  of  all 
the  high-toned  aristocratic  and  vicious  horses  that  took 
their  provender  from  the  royal  crib. 

This  set  me  to  thinking  that  a  short  time  before  I  left 
my  home  in  Ohio,  a  man  came  around  through  our  neigh- 
borhood breaking  in  unruly  horses,  and  among  others  he 
took  a  very  bad-tempered  mare  to  break  belonging  to 
William  Griffith,  a  neighbor  of  ours.  He  had  a  son,  Milo, 
about  my  age,  and  we  were  very  intimate,  and,  as  my 


THE  HAY-MOW  STUDENT.  36& 

father  used  good-naturedly  to  tell  us,  were  always  study- 
ing up  some  sort  of  deviltry.  Be  that  as  it  may,  we  were 
determined  to  find  out  the  secret  of  this  man's  horse- 
taming,  if  there  was  any.  So  we  agreed  that  on  the 
morning  the  man  should  come  to  break  in  the  mare,  we 
would  stop  home  from  school  and  hide  in  the  hay-mow 
and  witness  the  performance— and  we  did  so.  After  the 
affair  was  all  over  we  were  so  frightened  for  fear  it  would 
be  found  out,  that  we  never  breathed  it  to  a  living  soul. 
I  remember  the  man  strapped  up  the  horse's  leg,  and 
handled  him  in  that  position,  and  that  is  about  all  I  did 
know  or  see,  for  in  our  guilty  fright  we  dare  not  stick  our 
heads  out  of  the  hay  far  enough  to  know  all  he  did.  I 
thought  this  new  furor  of  horse-taming  was  probably  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  what  I  had  learned  in  the  hay-mow. 
Just  at  this  time  a  gentleman  arrived  from  England,  who 
had  witnessed  Mr,  Rarry's  exhibitions,  and  in  conversa- 
tion with  him  I  told  him  I  could  do  the  same ;  that  I  had 
witnessed  all  that  when  I  was  a  boy.  He  asked  me  the 
secret.  I  told  him  as  far  as  I  knew,  and  assumed  what  I 
did  not  know.  I  questioned  him  as  to  what  he  had  seen 
Rarry  do  and  got  some  information.  He  thought  I  knew 
all  about  it.  I  thought  I  would  try  the  experiment  at 
some  convenient  time. 

Up  at  the  end  of  my  stage  division  lived  a  Scotchman, 
who  owned  a  large  ranch  at  Long  wood,  on  the  Beech  worth 
road.  His  name  was  Middlemas,  and  I  brought  the  sub- 
ject to  his  attention.  He  poh-pohed  at  it,  and  said  it 
was  a  Yankee  blow  and  humbug.  I  told  him  if  he  would 
bring  in  one  of  his  wild  horses  upon  my  return,  I  would 


364  BECOMES  A  PROFESSOR. 

convince  him  it  was  no  "blow."  "By  Jo!"  said  he,  "I 
will  take  you  at  your  word."  He  was  to  have  the  horse 
in  and  put  in  the  "loose-box"— the  matter  to  be  a  profound 
-secret.  The  horse  was  ready  on  my  return.  I  was  sorry 
when  I  was  brought  to  the  test,  but  if  I  backed  out  I  knew 
I  should  never  hear  the  last  of  it,  and  both  myself  and  my 
-country  would  suffer  for  my  indiscretion.  I  could,  perhaps, 
endure  the  disgrace,  but  the  United  States  would  be  humili- 
ated by  my  failure.  However,  I  put  on  as  unconcerned  a 
countenance  as  possible,  and  said,  "Very  well,  we  will  soon 
fix  him  in  the  morning."  I  went  to  bed,  but  did  not  sleep 
much  for  thinking.  After  breakfast  I  got  a  sursingle,  a 
strap  and  a  rope,  and  went  into  the  loose-box  with  the 
horse,  and  shut  the  door,  determined  that  if  I  had  any 
good  results  the  outside  world  should  know  nothing  of 
my  wonderful  secret. 

I  soon  got  the  strap  around  the  horse's  neck  and  the 
rope  through  a  ring  in  the  manger,  and  pulled  him  up  to 
it  as  short  as  I  could  and  fastened  him.  Then  I  got  the 
sursingle  around  him  and  the  strap  around  the  fore  leg  at 
the  fetlock,  and  then  through  the  sursingle,  and  pulled  the 
fore  leg  up,  making  him  stand  on  three  legs.  I  pulled  the 
hoof  up  as  close  to  the  sursingle  as  possible  and  fastened 
it,  got  a  bridle  on  to  him  and  cast  the  rope  loose,  and 
rousted  him  about  as  much  as  I  could  in  so  small  a  space, 
which  was  wholly  inadequate  for  such  experiment,  for  if 
the  horse  lunges,  as  he  is  very  likely  to,  there  is  no  getting 
out  of  his  way.  At  first  he  made  some  desperate  efforts 
to  free  himself,  and  I  had  some  very  narrow  escapes  from 
getting  both  struck  and  stamped  with  his  free  fore  feet,  for 


TRIUMPH.  365 

ne  was  the  most  spirited  and  determined  animal  I  ever  en- 
countered At  last,  after  struggling  to  free  himself  for  some 
twenty  minutes,  he  quieted  down  for  a  short  time,  and  as 
soon  as  he  did  so  I  approached  and  caressed  him,  talked 
to  him,  put  my  arm  over  his  back  and  patted  him  on  the 
other  side,  keeping  on  the  side  of  his  strapped  fore  leg, 
when  he  got  so  as  to  stand  that  I  gradually  drew  myself 
up  on  his  back.  When  he  felt  my  weight  he  made  a  des- 
perate spring,  but  I  had  a  firm  hold  of  the  bridle  rein  and 
could  hold  him  as  I  liked.  This  performance  was  contin- 
ued for  twenty  minutes  longer  before  he  would  allow  me  to 
get  on  and  off  without  objection.  After  awhile  he  ceased  to 
resist  and  allowed  me  to  do  as  I  pleased,  and  when  he  so 
far  yielded  to  my  treatment,  I  turned  him  around  with  his 
leg  still  strapped  up  and  got  on  and  off  him  again  and 
again,  then  stood  up  on  his  back  and  sat  down  gently,  and 
repeated  until  he  did  not  seem  to  care  for  that.  Then  I 
would  slip  off  over  his  hips,  taking  good  care  as  I  did  so 
to  spring  out  of  his  way.  Next  I  led  him  around  the  loose- 
box,  all  the  time  patting  and  talking  to  him.  When  I 
found  he  would  allow  all  this,  I  let  down  his  leg  very  gently 
and  went  through  the  whole  process  with  his  leg  down, 
led  him  around 'and  repeated  it,  also  lifting  his  legs,  first 
one  and  then  the  other.  Now  I  got  the  saddle,  put  it  on 
him  and  tried  him  again  and  found  him  all  right.  I  was 
not  only  delighted  with  my  triumph,  but  felt  greatly  re- 
lieved. In  fact,  I  felt  proud.  The  whole  performance  in  the 
loose-box  occupied  just  two  hours  and  a  half.  I  went  out 
and  reported  the  horse  ready  for  inspection,  and  Mr.  Mid- 
•dlemas  and  his  friends  came  out  with  me  to  see  him  tried 


366  LAURELS  WON. 

outside.  The  groom  went  in  and  led  him  out,  mounted 
him  and  rode  him  around  the  yard,  to  the  surprise  of  all 
who  witnessed  it.  By  turns  they  all  handled  him  the  same 
as  I  had,  and  eventually,  after  serving  the  refreshments* 
all  had  a  turn  in  riding  him. 

None  were  more  pleased  or  more  astonished  than 
Middlemas  himself.  He  had  bought  the  horse,  he  said, 
with  some  forty  others,  and  told  the  man  he  bought  of 
that  he  intended  to  have  this  particular  horse  broke  in 
for  his  own  use.  The  man  told  him  not  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  him,  for  he  had  been  tried  by  one  of  the  best 
horsemen  in  the  country  where  he  came  from  and  he  could 
do  nothing  with  him,  that  he  would  run  great  personal 
risk  if  he  did.  However,  in  less  than  a  week  he  had  him 
driving  in  his  cart  as  quietly  as  any  horse  he  had  on  his 
place.  This  happy  result  was  a  feather  in  my  cap,  and 
now  nothing  would  answer  but  I  must  give  a  public 
exhibition  of  my  powers  of  horse-training  there  in  Long- 
wood,  and  that  at  once.  Middlemas  made  proclamation 
of  the  wonders  I  had  performed,  and  the  whole  country 
being  then  excited  over  Rarry's  performances  in  England, 
when  I  returned  on  my  next  trip  a  horse  was  ready  for 
me  to  operate  upon,  Middlemas  guaranteeing  me  fifty 
pounds  the  first  exhibition  I  would  give.  Well,  I  com- 
menced this  time  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  for 
I  had  the  horse  in  an  open  yard.  I  took  him  in  hand  and 
in  less  than  two  hours  had  him  equally  as  subdued  and 
quiet  as  the  first  one,  and  the  exhibition  was  satisfactory  to 
all  who  witnessed  it  and  to  myself.  The  receipts  were 
sixty-six  pounds  (three  hundred  and  thirty  dollars)— a 


PUBLIC   EXHIBITIONS.  367 

pretty  good  day's  work.  My  success  that  day  settled  in 
my  mind  my  future  occupation  for  a  time.  A  horse-tam- 
ing I  would  go.  So  the  next  trip  to  Melbourne  I  notified 
the  firm  that  I  was  going  to  leave.  I  left  my  orders  for 
advertising  and  got  a  bond -book  printed,  for  I  intended 
to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  my  illustrious  predecessor 
in  England,  and  have  all  my  pupils  bound  to  secrecy. 

I  put  out  my  bills  for  an  exhibition  at  Banalla,  where 
I  met  with  equally  as  good  success  as  my  first  in  Long- 
wood  ;  then  to  Devil's  River,  or  Mansfield,  as  it  is  now 
called ;  then  to  Wangaratta,  and  from  thence  to  Beech- 
worth.  Here  the  first  day  I  lost  repute  by  refusing  to 
take  a  horse  that  had  been  known  for  years  for  his  bucking 
propensities.  I  objected  to  him  on  the  ground  that  he  was 
a  broken  in  horse,  and  that  I  could  not  show  all  I  wished 
to  on  a  horse  of  that  kind.  Many  thought  me  afraid  to 
undertake  "Old  Croppy,"  that  it  would  be  a  failure,  that 
they  would  not  pay  their  three  pounds,  although  I  told 
them  to  leave  the  money  in  responsible  hands,  and  if  I 
did  not  do  all  I  advertised  to  do  they  would  get  their 
money  back.  But  that  did  not  allay  their  suspicions,  and 
I  had  only  ten  witnesses  to  my  performance,  which  was, 
if  possible,  the  most  successful  one  I  had  yet  given. 
Finally  I  told  them  to  bring  on  "Old  Croppy,"  and  that 
venerable  old  horse  who  had  conquered  all  the  knights  of 
the  saddle  was  brought  into  the  ring,  and  in  the  incred- 
ible short  time  of  twenty  minutes  I  could  stand  upon  his 
back,  and  he  was  afterwards  rode  through  the  town  of 
Beechworth  by  more  than  twenty  different  persons.  This 
was  another  triumph  for  me,  and  I  was  waited  upon  by 


368  CONTINUED  SUCCESS. 

many  prominent  citizens  and  requested  to  give  another 
exhibition  of  my  skill.  I  was  engaged  to  go  to  Yakan- 
danda  the  next  day,  but  promised  to  return  on  the  follow- 
ing day  if  they  would  be  on  hand  at  9  A.  m.,  so  that  I 
could  reach  Albury  the  same  day,  a  distance  of  thirty 
miles,  where  I  was  advertised  to  appear.  They  agreed, 
and  I  returned  and  carried  off  for  that  forenoon's  work 
over  fifty  pounds,  and  arrived  in  Albury  in  time  to  give 
my  exhibition  according  to  appointment. 

I  was  now  in  New  South  Wales,  and  towns  were  far  apart. 
My  next  engagement  was.  at  Waga  Waga,  thirty  miles 
distant.  Here  the  people  were  inclined  to  regard  me  with 
doubt,  and  only  three  persons  patronized  me.  Afterwards 
I  rode  my  subject  out  through  the  town,  and  went  through 
some  few  movements,  such  as  standing  on  his  back  and 
sliding  off  over  his  hips.  This  seemed  to  surprise  thecrowd, 
which  now  insisted  on  my  giving  another  exhibition. 
But  I  had  an  engagement  at  Adalong,  forty  miles  distant, 
and  could  not  stop.  However,  I  agreed  that  if  they  would 
guarantee  me  fifty  pounds,  and  have  a  horse  ready  for  me 
the  next  morning,  so  I  could  be  away  by  noon,  I  would 
remain  over  night  there.  The  horse  was  ready  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  ten  I  rode  away  without 
having  laid  a  hand  on  the  horse  nryself ;  one  of  the  men 
who  had  patronized  me  the  day  before  performed  the  whole 
job  under  my  instruction.  I  took  sixty-five  pounds  and  rode 
out  of  town  amid  the  cheers  of  the  crowd.  At  Adalong 
I  met  with  my  usual  success,  and  from  there  went  to  Gan- 
daga.  Here  the  good  people  had  heard  of  my  former  success 
and  had  resolved  to  bring  me  a  horse  that  would  conquer 


A  TEST  CASE.  369 

the  conqueror.  They  had  one  that  had  thus  far  conquered 
everyone  who  had  tried  him,  and  thrown  every  rider,  and 
they  felt  sure  I  would  meet  a  like  fate.  If  he  could  not 
dislodge  his  rider  by  rearing  or  kicking,  he  would  rear  and 
fall  over  back,  and  thus  crush  or  injure  his  rider.  I  felt  no 
little  anxiety  concerning  him,  but  my  reputation  was  at 
stake  and  it  would  not  do  to  appear  frightened,  which  I 
confess  I  was,  but  did  not  let  them  know  it.  He  was  a 
large,  powerful  horse,  well  mouthed,  but  of  a  most  vicious 
temper.  He  would  kick,  bite  and  strike.  The  strapping  up 
of  his  leg  seemed  to  surprise  him ;  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do.  I  handled  him  differently  from  the  others  which  had 
never  before  been  handled.  Those  I  was  gentle  with,  but 
this  one  I  jerked  around  and  made  him  perform  on  three 
legs.  He  soon  discovered  that  he  could  not  perform  the 
backing  dodge  on  three  legs,  so  he  resorted  to  his  old  trick 
— rearing  and  throwing  himself  over  backward.  This  I 
soon  overcame  by  means  of  the  long  line  I  held  him  by,  for 
when  he  was  on  his  hind  legs  I  would  jerk  him  over  back 
and  throw  him,  instead  of  letting  him  throw  himself. 
This  was  a  puzzle  to  him.  He  could  not  understand  why 
I  should  assist  him  in  turning  a  somersault.  It  never 
had  been  so  before.  The  third  time  he  tried  it  I  gave  him 
a  terrible  fall,  and  when  he  again  rose  to  his  feet  he  began 
to  tremble— he  quivered  all  over.  I  at  once  saw  that  he  had 
given  in — he  was  conquered — for  I  had  learned  a  great  deal 
more  in  the  short  time  I  had  been  in  the  business  than  I 
ever  knew  before.  I  found,  and  have  never  known  it  to 
fail,  that  when  a  horse  trembles  along  the  shoulders  and 
flank,  his  viciousness  has  departed. 


370  THE  SECRET  FOR  A  SIXPENCE. 

I  then  began  to  treat  him  more  kindly,  patting  him  and 
putting  my  arm  over  him,  his  leg  being  still  strapped 
up;  I  got  upon  his  back  and  rode  him  around  the  ring. 
When  I  found  he  made  no  remonstrance  to  that,  I  put  the 
saddle  on,  led  him  around,  then  rode  him  again  with  the 
saddle,  and  finally  let  his  leg  down  and  rode  him  around 
in  that  way.  Then  I  rode  him  out  of  town  a  mile  or  more, 
accompanied  by  his  owner  upon  another  horse,  when  we 
galloped  back.  From  that  time  till  dark  that  horse  was 
kept  on  a  move— first  one  and  then  another  riding  him, 
till  more  than  thirty  persons  had  been  on  his  back.  And 
now  half  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  nearly  ruined 
their  own  health  in  drinking  to  mine,  with  the  Rip  Van 
Winkle  toast— "Here's  to  your  good  health  and  your  fam- 
ily's, and  may  you  live  long  and  prosper." 

My  next  place  was  Yass.  Only  one  man  came  to  see 
me.  A  book  had  come  out  professing  to  give  the  secret  of 
horse-taming— price,  sixpence— and  the  people  were  not 
going  to  give  three  pounds  when  they  could  learn  it  for  a 
sixpence.  This  gentleman  had  bought  one  of  the  pam- 
phlets, tried  his  hand  in  the  enterprise  and  failed.  So  he 
came  to  see  me,  but  as  there  had  been  no  horse  brought 
in,  of  course  my  occupation  was  gone  for  that  day.  He 
made  many  inquiries,  so  I  asked  him  what  his  book  told 
him  to  do.  He  said  the  book  told  him  so  and  so.  "Yes, 
and  the  horse  did  so,  did  it  not?"  "Yes."  "And  what 
did  you  do  then ?"  "That's  just  where  I  am  puzzled ;  the 
book  did  not  tell  me,  and  I  could  go  no  further. "  "  Suppose 
you  had  done  so"— telling  him  what  to  do.  He  slapped 
me  on  the  shoulder,  and  said:    "By  jove,  that's  it!"    I 


m 


372  THE  SCHOOL  BENEFIT. 

took  him  out  to  my  own  horse  in  the  stable,  and  explained 
to  him  very  fully.  He  was  greatly  pleased,  and  insisted 
on  my  accepting  a  ten  pound  note,  saying  the  information 
was  worth  twenty  times  that  amount  to  him. 

At  Sidney,  the  capital  of  New  South  Wales,  I  gave  sev- 
eral exhibitions  at  Tattersal's  bazaar,  and  out  at  Para- 
matta. A  horse,  which  had  been  put  on  board  a  ship  for 
India,  but  which  proved  so  bad  that  he  had  been  taken 
off,  was  brought  to  me,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
subduing  all  his  vicious  habits  and  propensities,  and  my 
receipts  were  abundantly  satisfactory.  Lastly,  I  went  to 
Maitland  where  I  gave  two  exhibitions,  at  one  of  which  I 
was  honored  by  the  presence  of  many  ladies.  Here  I  met 
an  old  Victoria  friend,  Jerrj'  Luther,  a  thorough  character, 
not  unlike  Micawber,  in  Dickens'  'David  Copperfield,* 
always  waiting  for  "something  to  turn  up."  He  was  a 
good-looking  person,  tolerably  well  educated  and  of  good 
manners;  always  moved  in  the  best  society  the  place 
afforded,  a  universal  favorite  among  the  ladies,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  subject  of  envy  among  the  men.  Jerry  took 
me  in  hand  immediately  upon  my  arrival  in  Maitland,  and 
proposed  an  exhibition  of  my  skill  as  a  benefit  for  the 
school,  ladies  to  be  admitted  at  half  price.  I  consented, 
leaving  the  management  to  Jerry,  who  procured  a  suitable 
place  at  the  stables  and  yards  of  Mr.  Samuel  Clift. 

The  day  arrived,  and  so  did  Jerry  and  his  lady  friends, 
about  fifteen  in  number,  together  with  about  the  same 
number  of  gentlemen.  Jerry  had  it  well  arranged— the 
door  thrown  open  facing  the  yard,  seats  arranged  on  the 
floor  of  the  barn,  and  the  horse  already  in  the  yard.    After 


THE  LADIES  AND  THE  ORATION.  373 

seating  his  company  and  holding  a  brief  consultation 
with  me,  in  which,  among  other  less  important  and  em- 
barrassing suggestions,  he  insisted  on  my  opening  the 
exercises  with  a  short  but  well-considered  and  eloquent 
address.  To  this  I  demurred — it  was  unprecedented ;  I 
never  had  done  such  a  thing  at  any  exhibition ;  it  was  not 
set  down  in  the  bill;  it  was  not  "so  nominated  in  the 
bond."  "But,"  he  said,  "ladies  have  honored  you  with 
their  presence ;  they  expect  to  hear  your  voice  as  well  as 
to  observe  your  wonderful  powers."  It  was  of  no  use  to 
resist,  and,  still  protesting,  I  consented.  Jerry  retired  to 
the  back  of  the  seats  where  he  could  gesticulate  his  ap- 
proval or  disapproval  of  my  remarks  without  being 
noticed  by  the  audience.  I  was  nonplused  by  this  new 
act  injected  into  the  play.  I  thought  of  the  happy  lot  of 
the  rural  member  of  congress,  in  the  United  States,  who 
had  a  year  to  compose  and  write  out  one  poor,  weak,  little 
speech,  and  then  could  get  it  printed  in  the  Congressional 
Record  without  ever  having  even  read  it  in  the  halls  of 
state,  yet  read  by  admiring  constituents  from  the  "Hub" 
to  the  Golden  Gate,  while  I  must  waste  the  impromptu 
sweetness  of  my  oratory  upon  the  desert  air  of  an  Austra- 
lian barn-yard. 

I  could  harangue  a  crowd  of  men  in  the  mining  camps 
in  the  well  understood  slang  of  the  "Holy  Land,"  as  Van 
Diemen's  Land  or  Tasmania  is  called  by  the  "old  men," 
but  the  presence  of  ladies  was  a  new  feature,  and  I  was 
timid,  embarrassed  and  faint.  However,  I  came  forward, 
carpet-bag  in  hand,  containing  a  wardrobe  for  the  horse, 
consisting  of  straps,  sursingle  and  lunging  line,  and  sue- 


374  THE  MYSTERIOUS  CARPET-BAG. 

ceeded  in  stammering  out  "Ladies  and  gentlemen"— or 
words  to  that  effect.  The  ladies  smiled,  and  then  I  knew 
I  had  struck  a  sympathetic  chord.  My  confidence  returned, 
and  I  was  emboldened  to  add  that  it  would  be  useless  for 
me  to  attempt  to  enlarge  upon  the  celebrated  Mr.  Rarry's 
system  of  horse-taming,  neither  would  it  be  necessary  for 
me  to  enter  into  detail  of  my  treatment  of  the  animal,  as 
I  had  a  subject  to  operate  upon  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
ocular  demonstration.  "If  anyone  has  come  expecting  to 
see  anything  mysterious  and  wonderful,  disappointment 
will  follow.  If  you  expect  me  by  some  mesmeric  passes  to 
bring  the  horse  upon  his  knees  and  invite  the  rider  to  get 
upon  his  back,  again  I  say  you  will  be  disappointed. 
Rarry's  system  was  simply,  first,  getting  the  horse  under 
control,  and  then  by  kindness  overcoming  his  fears.  In 
overcoming  his  fears  his  vices  are  subdued,  and  he  becomes 
what  he  truly  is,  man's  best  friend."  [Here  I  was  greeted 
with  rounds  of  applause,  in  which  Jerry  led  off  and  the 
ladies  followed .  ]  This  gave  me  time  to  breathe,  and  I  con- 
cluded I  had  better  stop  while  my  reputation  was  up  in  the 
market  as  a  public  speaker. 

I  then  opened  my  carpet-bag,  which  had  been  gazed  upon 
as  containing  something  mysterious,  and  pulled  out  a 
webbing  lunging  line,  a  sursingle  and  two  straps,  and  in- 
formed the  company  that  with  those  I  intended  to  develop 
to  their  eyes  the  wonderful  secret.  They  looked  rather 
disappointed,  especially  the  ladies,  when  they  discovered 
that  the  carpet-bag,  which  had  been  the  subject  of  so  much 
curiosity,  should  after  all  contain  only  three  bits  of  leather 
with  buckles  on  them  and  a  webbing  line  about  thirty  feet 


MISS  CLIFT  AND  THE  WILD  HORSE.  375 

long.  But  they  took  it  graciously,  while  I  being  then  a 
little  lame  from  a  recent  injury,  Jerry  came  forward  accord- 
ing to  promise  and  rendered  assistance. 

My  horse  oration  was  very  satisfactory  to  Jerry.  The 
affair  came  off  with  admirable  success,  and  for  a  time  I 
thought  I  should  even  rival  Jerry  among  the  ladies,  but 
that  feeling  was  soon  dissipated,  in  one  case  particularly. 

Mr.  Clift  had  prepared  a  lunch,  and  after  the  perform- 
ance was  over  we  all  adjourned  to  the  house,  all  talking 
of  the  powers  of  man  over  the  brute  creation ;  not  all, 
however— Jerry  and  Miss  Clift  were  not  there.  We  were 
all  busy  at  lunch  when  we  missed  them.  Miss  Clift  was 
an  excellent  equestrian.  Presently  there  was  a  commo- 
tion outside,  and  upon  looking  out  all  were  astonished 
to  find  that  Jerry  had  put  Miss  Cliffs  side-saddle  upon 
that  lately  vicious  wild  horse,  and  she  sat  thereon 
with  the  ease  and  grace  of  a  Circassian  princess,  while 
Jerry  was  astride  of  another  splendid  horse,  and  they 
were  riding  through  the  street  at  full  speed  and  the  crowd 
of  spectators  cheering  them. 

At  Maitland  I  met  with  an  accident  that  ultimately 
ended  my  career  as  the  Rarry  of  Australia.  In  giving  a 
private  exhibition  I  sprained  my  ankle  jumping  from  the 
horse  while  standing  on  his  back,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  give  up  the  business.  I  sold  out  to  a  couple  of  gentle- 
men, brothers,  who  had  been  my  patrons  under  bonds  to 
secrecy,  for  one  hundred  pounds,  gave  them  my  bond-book 
and  agreed  to  give  no  more  public  lessons  in  the  colonies. 

Often  afterwards  I  practiced  it  privately,  and  there  are 
hundreds  in  Australia  who  think  to  this  day  that  I  possess 


376  FEAR  THE  CAUSE— KINDNESS  THE  CURE. 

some  secret  power  over  a  horse  that  no  one  has  knowl- 
edge of  but  myself.  But  that  is  an  error,  for  the  only 
secret  is  this — a  horse  is  possessed  of  a  certain  amount  of 
intelligence,  but  has  not  the  power  of  reasoning.  It  is  fear 
that  makes  a  horse  vicious.  Overcome  his  fears  and  his 
vice  is  gone,  and  the  quickest  way  to  do  that  is  by  kind- 
ness. To  be  sure  there  are  different  dispositions  in  horses, 
as  in  persons,  and  such  require  different  treatment.  One 
must  study  their  various  traits,  as  the  superior  mind  treats, 
manages  and  controls  the  minds  of  inferior  men.  Nearly 
every  horse  can  be  subdued  and  made  gentle  by  kindness, 
the  same  as  it  is  with  people.  I  have  never  yet  failed  to 
subdue  a  wild  or  vicious  horse  that  I  took  in  hand,  and 
never  resorted  to  that  degree  of  severity  of  discipline  that 
by  any  person  could  be  deemed  cruelty,  though  I  have 
often  been  obliged  to  resort  to  pretty  severe  firmness. 


COASTING  TO  GIPPS'  LAND.  377 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Gipps'  Land — A  Gold  Rush— Dealing  with  His  Uncle— Cattle  Duff- 
ing—Unexpected Offer  — Royal  Society  — Exploring  Expedi- 
tion —  Hasten  to  Melbourne  —  Appointed  Foreman  of  the 
Expedition— Fitting  Out— The  Start— Reviewed  by  the  Gover- 
nor— Curiosity  of  the  People — Camels  a  Novelty — Grooming  a 
Camel— Cooper's  Creek— Resignation  and  Return— Fate  of  the 
Expedition— Starvation  and  Death. 

RETIRING  from  the  show  business  and  returning  to 
Melbourne,  I  went  once  more  to  coaching  and  fol- 
lowed it  for  little  more  than  a  year,  when  I  was  again 
taken  sick  and  was  obliged,  when  partially  recovered,  to 
make  a  change  of  climate.  I  made  a  coasting  voyage  up 
to  what  was  then  a  new  country,  Gipps'  Land,  named  after 
Sir  George  Gipps,  governor  of  New  South  Wales  from 
1838  to  1846.  While  there  a  new  gold  field  broke  out  on 
the  New  South  Wales  side,  about  two  hundred  miles  up 
the  coast  from  Gipps'  Land,  on  the  Snowy  river. 

Now  there  never  was  a  gold  rush  but  I  must  see  it,  and 
this  one  was  not  an  exception.  Off  I  started.  Arriving 
there  I  found  it  had,  like  many  others,  been  greatly  enlarged 
upon,  though  many  were  doing  well.  There  was  a  scarcity 
of  beef,  while  there  were  thousands  of  cattle  within  a  few 
miles  from  there,  in  what  was  called  the  Monoro  country,. 


378  THE  NEPHEW  OF  HIS  UNCLE. 

but  there  were  not  men  there  then  who  would  venture 
down  and  bring  them  up,  for  it  was  a  hazardous  under- 
taking to  drive  cattle  in  those  broken  ranges. 

I  met  a  young  man  named  Croft,  a  native  of  Sidney,  who 
told  me  an  uncle  of  his  had  a  station  not  more  than  forty 
miles  distant,  of  whom  we  could  get  cattle  at  five  pounds 
per  head,  and  we  arranged  to  go  into  the  slaughtering 
business.  He  started  for  his  uncle's  station,  while  I  re- 
mained to  put  up  a  slaughter-yard.  By  the  time  the  yard 
was  ready  he  was  up  with  the  cattle,  and  we  commenced 
slaughtering.  It  was  my  first  experience  in  this  line  of 
business.  We  killed  twenty-five  head.  It  puzzled  me  that 
he  got  that  number  when  he  had  taken  only  seventy 
pounds  in  money  with  him.  It  beat  my  mathematical  cal- 
culations, and  when  I  enquired  of  him  he  said  it  was  all 
right,  he  got  them  of  his  uncle.  So  I  supposed  his  uncle 
let  him  have  them  on  time.  We  sold  to  the  butchers  by 
the  carcass. 

When  we  had  nearly  sold  out  Croft  went  back  for  more, 
this  time  taking  a  hundred  pounds  in  money.  I  supposed 
he  would  pay  for  what  he  had  got  on  time  and  purchase 
as  many  more ;  that  I  would  have  what  meat  we  had  on 
hand  all  sold  out,  and  on  the  third  trip  we  would  owe 
nothing  for  cattle.  To  my  surprise  he  returned  with  up- 
wards of  thirty  head.  I  was  all  sold  out  and  waiting  for 
him. 

After  a  few  days  we  were  preparing  for  the  third  draft 
when  I  asked  him  how  much  we  owed  his  uncle.  He  told 
me  we  owed  him  nothing.  He  said  the  first  time  he 
bought  twelve  head  and  paid  for  them,  and  picked  the  rest 


HEALTH  RESTORED.  379" 

up  on  the  ranch.  The  second  time  he  paid  for  sixteen  head 
and  picked  up  sixteen  more.  I  protested  against  this  man- 
ner of  doing  business.  He  said  the  old  man  did  not  know- 
how  many  cattle  he  had  ;  that  he  never  would  find  it  out ; 
and  if  he  did  he  would  not  prosecute  him.  But  I  could  not 
see  it  in  that  way,  and  was  now  determined  to  get  out  of 
the  business,  at  least  with  the  nephew  of  his  uncle.  A 
butcher  bought  me  out,  and  glad  I  was  to  get  out  in  time, 
for  I  was  sure  that  sooner  or  later  they  would  be  found 
out.  And  I  was  right,  for  they  were  very  soon  " pulled," 
and  each  were  imprisoned  for  what  is  there  called  "  cattle 
duffing." 

The  town  sprang  up  like  a  mushroom,  as  all  mining 
towns  do,  and  was  named  Kiandra.  It  is  situated  in  the 
most  mountainous  part  of  New  South  Wales,  and  in  the 
roughest  and  coldest  part  of  the  colony  I  had  yet  found. 
It  was  in  the  winter  months  when  I  was  there,  and  the 
snow  was  falling,  but  not  as  it  does  in  this  country. 
There  it  falls  and  melts,  making  it  muddy  and  sloppy 
under  foot,  and  the  air  cold  and  damp.  At  the  season  I 
was  there  it  seemed  to  me  the  most  disagreeable  place  on 
the  earth.    In  summer  it  is  said  to  be  delightful. 

The  change  had  done  me  good.  I  had  been  away  from 
Melbourne  only  three  months,  and  was  as  rugged  and 
healthy  as  ever  I  had  been  in  my  life.  But  this  place  was 
away  out  of  the  world  to  me,  and  I  had  become  thoroughly 
disgusted  with  it.  Nothing  would  induce  me  to  remain 
there,  not  even  the  assurance  of  a  fortune.  Besides,  I  did 
not  like  the  memory  of  that  butchering  business,  and  was 
anxious  to  put  as  many  miles  between  me  and  Kiandra  as- 


380  THE  EXPLORING   EXPEDITION. 

possible.  I  had  acted  in  good  faith  and  my  conscience  did 
not  trouble  me.  I  had  sold  out  honorably  and  to  good 
advantage,  and  was  ready— not  "  waiting,  "like  Micawber, 
—for  something  to  turn  up. 

A  new  field  of  enterprise  soon  opened  to  me,  and  one  of 
a  kind  I  least  expected.  The  nature  of  it  is  indicated  in  a 
letter  of  Dr.  Macadam,  secretary  of  the  Royal  Society  at 
Melbourne,  Victoria,  in  the  following  terms : 

Mr.  Charles  D.  Ferguson  : 

Sir— There  is  a  vacancy  in  the  Victoria  Exploring  Expedition  which 
will  be  held  open  for  you  up  to  its  leaving  Melbourne.  If  you  think  favor- 
ably of  it,  come  to  Melbourne  as  soon  as  convenient,  as  it  intends  to  leave 
on  the  first  of  August. 

John  Macadam,  Secretary. 

A  letter  received  from  Robert  O'Hara  Burke  at  the  same 
time  of  the  above,  informed  me  that  he  had  been  appointed 
leader  of  the  Victoria  Exploring  Expedition,  that  he  was 
anxious  for  me  to  join  it,  and  advising  me  to  come  to  Mel- 
bourne at  once,  that  salary  was  a  second  consideration. 

This  was  in  1860.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Australia  is  not  an  island,  but  a  continent,  nearly  three 
thousand  miles  in  length  from  east  to  west,  and  over  two 
thousand  from  north  to  south,  having  an  area  in  square 
miles  greater  than  the  United  States  and  about  equal  to 
the  whole  of  Europe.  The  country  had  never  been  ex- 
plored, at  least  the  continent  had  never  been  crossed, 
although  there  had  been  various  attempts  to  do  so.  The 
first  was  by  Dr.  Lekhart,  a  German,  who  started  out  from 
Sidney  in  1851,  but  never  was  heard  from  afterwards,  nor 
Jiave  any  traces  been  found  to  this  day,  for  any  certainty ,  of 


PRIOR  EXPLORING  EXPEDITIONS.  381 

the  fate  of  the  explorer  and  his  party,  though  there  have 
been  rumors  of  traces,  but  when  followed  up  have  proved 
to  be  wholly  mythical,  and  there  is  more  known  to-day  of 
the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  among  the  ice  floes  of  the 
Arctic  seas,  than  of  Lekhart  in  the  interior  deserts  of 
Australia.  The  government  has  expended  many  thousands 
of  pounds  in  searching  for  the  truth  of  these  fabulous  re- 
ports, which  at  first  seemed  plausible,  but  when  investi- 
gated, each  and  all  proved  alike  untrue  and  disappointing. 

The  next  expedition  was  that  of  Sturt,  who  reached 
the  interior  as  far  as  Cooper's  creek,  where  he  wandered 
about  for  some  time  and  then  returned,  reporting  the  in- 
terior one  vast  desert  of  sand  and  sage  brush,  wholly  des- 
titute of  grass  and  water.  Subsequently  Macgregor  took 
the  field,  but  he  got  no  further  than  his  predecessor,  and 
returned  bringing  the  same  discouraging  report.  Besides 
these,  there  had  been  many  private  individuals,  and  pre- 
eminently, Sir  Thomas  Elder,  an  Australian  millionaire  of 
noble  spirit,  who  made  exploring  expeditions,  looking  for 
ranges  and  pastures  for  sheep  and  cattle ;  but  all  told  the 
same  discouraging  story  on  their  return,  mam-  coming 
near  losing  their  lives  in  the  loss  of  their  horses  by  starva- 
tion. In  1859  a  Mr.  Stuart,  equipped  at  the  expense  of 
Sir  Thomas  Elder,  started  from  South  Australia  with  two 
companions,  and  came  nearer  to  success  than  any  previous 
party.  He  was  obliged,  however,  to  return  for  want  of 
provisions. 

The  Victorian  government,  in  1860,  took  consideration 
of  the  subject.  Private  subscriptions  were  tendered,  one 
man  giving  a  thousand  pounds,  and  hundreds  of  others 


382  HASTENS  TO  MELBOURNE. 

smaller,  but  very  respectable  sums.  The  government 
voted  fifty  thousand  pounds.  The  management  of  the 
expedition  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Royal  society. 
They  sent  to  India  and  procured  twenty-six  head  of 
camels  with  drivers,  and  appointed  a  leader  and  selected 
their  men.  I  had  read  of  the  contemplated  expedition  and 
thought  I  would  like  to  be  one  of  the  party,  but  knowing 
the  difficulty  there  was  in  getting  position  in  government 
affairs  without  powerful  friends  to  back  one,  while  at  the 
same  time  there  were  plenty  who  could  get  places,  though 
no  more  fit  than  children,  from  having  friends  in  the  gov- 
ernment or  in  the  Royal  society,  my  mind  did  not  long 
dwell  upon  the  subject.  Therefore,  one  can  judge  of  my 
surprise  when  I  received  the  letters  before  mentioned.  I  at 
once  set  out  on  foot  for  Melbourne  to  meet  Mr.  Burke  and 
present  myself  to  the  officers  of  the  Royal  society.  It  was 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles  to  Albury,  a  broken  and 
unsettled  country  for  the  first  hundred  miles,  houses  thirty 
miles  apart,  and  the  most  dreary  country  in  Australia. 
My  horse  had  been  stolen,  which  necessitated  my  starting 
on  foot — it  was  a  lonely  country  for  that  business.  I 
heard  of  him  a  year  or  more  afterwards  in  New  Zealand, 
having  met  the  man  who  stole  him;  he  laughed  at  me, 
thought  it  was  a  good  joke,  and  told  me  he  afterwards 
sold  the  horse.  So  it  is  a  reality  that  there  are  places 
where,  as  the  countryman  said  of  the  city,  "They  cheat 
each  other  and  steal  and  call  that  business."  I  walked 
the  distance  in  four  days.  When  within  eight  miles  of 
Albury,  just  at  dark,  and  when  I  was  making  haste  to 
reach  a  house  I  knew  to  be  only  three  miles  distant,  I 


PAINFUL  INJURY— GETS  A  RIDE.  383 

made  a  misstep,  and  in  trying  to  save  myself,  sprained  my 
ankle  and  fell.  For  twenty  minutes  it  seemed  to  me  I 
never  suffered  such  excruciating  pain  in  my  life.  I  lay  and 
rolled  upon  the  ground.  It  was  three  miles  from  a  house, 
and  cold  and  sleety  weather ;  could  not  put  my  foot  to  the 
ground,  and  what  to  do  was  more  than  I  could  tell,  when 
presently  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  spring-cart  (for  I  had 
now  reached  the  old  Sidney  road).  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  have  a  ride  at  any  cost.  When  the  cart  came  up  I 
hailed  the  driver,  who  was  a  hawker,  or  peddler.  His 
only  response  to  my  request  for  a  ride  was  a  stroke  of 
the  whip  upon  the  horse.  My  case  was  one  of  desperate 
emergency — I  must  ride  or  die.  I  could  not  walk  to  the 
next  house.  I  seized  his  horse  which  I  held  with  one  hand, 
and  leveled  my  pistol  at  the  driver,  and  there  I  stood  and 
compelled  him  to  listen  to  my  story  of  agony  and  pain, 
and  told  him  I  only  wanted  to  ride  to  the  next  house,  and 
what  was  more,  I  was  going  to  do  so.  I  would  not 
hurt  him,  but  held  onto  the  reins  and  covered  him  with 
the  pistol  until  I  had  crawled  into  the  dray,  when  I  gave 
him  the  reins  and  told  him  to  drive  on ;  that  I  would  not 
hurt  him,  but  ride  I  must  and  would.  He  never  spoke 
a  word,  but  drove  me  to  the  hotel  three  miles  distant. 
When  I  slid  down  from  his  cart  I  could  not  walk.  I 
asked  him  to  help  me  in,  and  he  did— in  fact,  he  was  so 
frightened  he  would  do  anything  I  told  him.  I  then 
treated  him  to  a  glass  of  brandy  and  tendered  him  five 
shillings  for  my  ride.  He  declined  to  take  it  but  accepted 
a  glass  of  hot  brandy.  By  that  time  he  had  got  over  his 
fright,  and  he  told  me  he'was  never  so  frightened  before  in 


3S4  MET  BY  A  MESSENGER. 

his  life.  It  was  then  five  more  miles  to  Albury,  and  he 
insisted  on  my  riding  in  with  him.  I  jocosely  hinted  that 
he  might  be  frightened.  "No,"  he  said;  that  was  the 
reason  he  wanted  me  to  go  with  him,  as  he  had  no  fear  of 
being  stuck  up  if  I  was  with  him.  I  accepted  his  invita- 
tion and  he  drove  a  half  mile  out  of  the  way  to  set  me 
down  at  the  Exchange  hotel,  kept  by  Kidd  &  Brittle, 
Americans. 

The  next  morning  a  policeman  arrived  at  the  hotel 
and  enquired  of  the  landlord  if  he  had  any  commands  for 
the  Snowy  river.  Mr.  Kidd  asked  him  what  was  taking 
him  there?  He  replied  that  he  was  doubtless  on  a  wild 
goose  chase,  but  he  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  a  man 
there  by  the  name  of  Ferguson.  Kidd  told  him  if  it  was 
Charlie  Ferguson  he  had  only  to  go  up  to  room  nine  to 
find  him.  A  knock  at  my  door  necessitated  my  hobbling 
to  it  to  slip  the  bolt,  when  I  was  surprised  to  find  a 
policeman  facing  me.  I  thought  of  Croft  and  his  uncle's 
cattle.  Then  I  saw  by  his  uniform  that  he  was  a  Victo- 
rian policeman  and  would  have  no  official  business  with 
me  over  the  border.  Responding  to  his  civil  question  for 
my  full  name,  he  handed  me  the  letter.  It  was  from  In- 
spector Bookey  of  Beechworth,  informing  me  that  the 
Royal  society  had  written  him  requesting  that  a  mes- 
senger be  sent  to  the  Snowy  river  to  find  me,  fearing  I 
would  not  get  the  letter  before  posted  to  my  address. 
I  remained  at  Albury  that  day  and  took  the  coach  for 
Beechworth  the  next  morning,  where  I  saw  Mr.  Bookey 
who  offered  to  forward  me  to  Melbourne  at  the  expense 
of  the  Royal  society.    This  I  declined,  as  I  did  not  wish 


ACCEPTS  THE  POSITION.  385 

to  be  under  obligations  to  the  society  in  advance.  He, 
however,  wired  them  that  I  was  on  my  way.  Mr.  Burke 
met  me  at  the  coach  office  and  took  me  to  the  Royal 
society's  hall,  where  I  met  the  exploring  committee  then 
in  session.  Nothing  was  concluded  that  evening,  but  I 
agreed  to  make  them  a  proposition  at  their  meeting  the 
next  day.  In  accordance  therewith  I  offered  to  join  the 
expedition  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
They  accepted  the  offer  at  once,  and  on  the  following  day 
I  received  my  official  appointment  as  foreman  of  the 
Victorian  Exploring  expedition,  Robert  O'Hara  Burke, 
leader,  July  10,  1860. 

From  that  time  on  I  was  constantly  devoted  to  the 
preparation  of  the  outfit— horses  to  buy,  wagons  and 
harnesses  to  be  made,  and  men  to  break  in,  which  was  a 
more  difficult  task  than  the  breaking  in  of  horses,  for 
most  of  them  were  not  only  inexperienced  but  illy  adapted 
by  habits  of  life  for  the  service.  They  were  from 
England,  Ireland  and  Scotland,  and  had  come  out  with 
letters  of  introduction  to  people  of  influence  in  the  colonies 
who  felt  under  obligation  to  do  something  for  them,  and 
this  was  the  grand  opportunity  and  they  embraced  it. 
Most  of  them  having  been  brought  up  " a  gentleman,"  as 
the  term  is  understood  in  England,  they  knew  nothing 
of  hard  work,  and,  besides,  they  were  one  and  all,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  preeminently  ignorant  of  frontier,  or,  as 
it  is  there  called,  bush  life,  and  consequently  wholly  unfit 
for  an  expedition  of  that  kind. 

I  well  remember  the  remark  I  made  to  Mr.  Burke  upon 
my  first  visit  to  the  Royal  park,  where  the  men  were 


386  PREPARATIONS  AND  OUTFIT. 

quartered,  when  he  asked  me  what  I  thought  of  them.  I 
told  him  if  I  could  have  my  way  I  would  select  my  men 
from  some  of  the  old  experienced  bush-men  in  the  prison, 
rather  than  start  out  across  the  continent  with  such  raw 
recruits;  that  I  did  not  believe  one-half  of  them  could 
harness  up  a  team  and  drive  it.  And  my  assertion  proved 
even  more  than  true,  for  there  was  not  even  one  man 
among  them  that  could  put  together  a  four-horse  team 
and  drive  it  afterwards.  The  purchasing  of  the  outfit 
devolved  entirely  upon  me.  The  wagons  were  fitted  up. 
in  the  government  prison,  the  clothes  and  boots  also  were 
made  there,  and  even  the  horses  were  shod  there — in  fact,, 
the  prison  was  the  industrial  institution  of  Melbourne 
and  the  source  of  mechanical  products. 

This  brought  me  in  contact  with  the  prisoners,  who  were 
kept  under  the  strictest  discipline,  and  tobacco  was  pro- 
hibited. When  I  went  to  look  after  the  work  they  con- 
stantly importuned  me  to  bring  them  some  tobacco,  and 
not  thinking  of  prison  rules,  I  was  rather  liberal  with 
it  among  those  that  were  at  work  for  me.  I  did  it  to  en~ 
courage  them  to  hasten  on  with  the  work.  But  my  liber- 
ality made  me  trouble.'  Other  prisoners  became  jealous 
of  those  that  worked  for  me,  and  laid  information  against 
me.  I  was  watched,  soon  caught  in  the  act  and  brought 
before  the  superintendent,  where  I  learned  the  enormity 
of  the  crime.  Fine,  twenty  to  fifty  pounds  for  first 
offense,  and  three  months  imprisonment,  in  the  discretion 
of  that  officer.  I  told  the  authorities  that  I  knew  they  did 
not  supply  rations  of  tobacco  to  prisoners,  but  did  not 
know  it  was  such  a  crime  for  one  to  give  them  some ;  that 


OFFICERS  AND  ARTICLES  OF  AGREEMENT.     387 

I  was  anxious  to  get  on  with  the  work  and  wished  to  en- 
courage them  to  expedite  it,  and  hoped  they  would  over- 
look my  offense  and  impose  as  light  a  fine  as  their  rules 
would  admit  of.  So  a  fine  of  twenty  pounds  was  imposed, 
and  Mr.  Burke  was  told  that  I  was  not  to  be  allowed 
among  the  men  an}T  more.  I  owe  that  fine  yet,  and  am 
likely  to,  and  if  they  keep  the  account  they  will  always  have 
something  due  them.  I  was  told  that  if  I  wished  to  give 
the  prisoners  tobacco  I  should  put  it  in  the  loading  I  was 
sending  out,  as  they  would  be  sure  to  find  it  and  appro- 
piate  it. 

But  things  soon  came  to  a  stand-still  inside.  Not  a  man 
knew  what  I  wanted  done.  But  I  would  not  go  inside 
until  I  had  an  order  from  the  superintendent  to  admit  me. 
Things  were  soon  put  to  rights.  The  men  only  held  off 
until  my  presence  was  allowed.  I  supplied  them  with 
tobacco  until  my  work  was  done,  but  was  more  careful  in 
my  manner  of  distribution.  I  only  mention  this  unimport- 
ant incident  to  illustrate  the  constitutional  meanness  of 
those  miserable  men  toward  each  other— jealousy  and 
cusseduess. 

The  expedition  was  expected  to  be  ready  to  start  by  Au- 
gust 20,  and  I  was  determined  that  nothing  should  be  left 
undone  on  my  part.  I  was  obliged  to  let  out  some  of  the 
work  to  private  individuals,  as  I  could  not  get  some 
things  done  in  the  prison.  Finally  I  had  the  entire  outfit 
completed  in  time,  and  on  the  seventeenth  of  August, 
1860,  the  whole  party  were  assembled  at  the  Royal  socie- 
ty's hall  to  sign  the  articles  of  agreement  for  the  expe- 
dition.    Robert   O'Hara   Burke,    leader;    George  James 


388  OFFICIAL  INSPECTION— THE  START. 

Landels,  second;  Charles  D.  Ferguson,  foreman;  Mr. 
Wills,  astronomer;  Herman  Becker,  doctor  and  botanist; 
Dr.  Ludwig  Beckler,  artist ;  subalterns,  William  Brah,  John 
Drake,  John  King  and  Patrick  Lanon.  There  were  a  num- 
ber of  others  whose  names  I  have  forgotten ;  besides,  there 
were  two  Sepoys,  or  Eastlndiamen,  drivers  of  the  twenty- 
six  camels ;  four  wagoners  and  twenty-six  head  of  horses. 
Three  extra  wagons  were  hired  to  take  some  of  the  loading 
as  far  as  Swan  Hill,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
miles. 

The  day  after  signing  the  articles  was  Saturday,  and  a 
great  day  at  the  Royal  park.  The  governor  and  lady, 
with  a  retinue  of  lesser  officials  and  distinguished  friends, 
turned  out  to  inspect  our  outfit,  and  I  was  gratified  by 
receiving  many  compliments  from  his  excellency  and  others 
upon  the  result  of  my  labors,  although  I  was  not  satisfied 
therewith  myself.  A  grand  lunch  was  provided  for  all- 
One  or  two  of  the  men  became  a  little  too  hilarious  through 
excess  of  beer,  and  when  Mr.  Burke  heard  of  it  he  sent  for 
me  and  gave  me  orders  to  discharge  them  and  send  them 
out  of  the  park.  I  suggested  to  him  that  I  had  not  the 
power  to  do  that ;  I  could  only  suspend  them  from  duty 
and  report  them  to  him ;  that  it  was  his  province  to  dis- 
charge them,  which  he  did. 

On  the  morning  of  the  twentieth,  before  ten  o'clock,  over 
sixty  thousand  people  had  assembled  to  witness  the  start- 
ing, from  the  Royal  Park,  of  the  Victorian  Exploring  expe- 
dition, on  its  long  and  perilous  journey.  How  few  of  all 
that  party  thought  they  were  starting  out  upon  their  last 
journey  upon  earth.    Little  did  anyone  of  them  think  that 


CURIOSITY  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  389 

of  all  that  party  there  would  be  only  one  left  to  tell  of 
the  disastrous  fate  of  the  expedition ;  but  so  it  was.  Al- 
though no  expedition  ever  before  started  out  under  more 
favorable  auspices,  or  seemed  more  sure  of  success,  yet 
providence  or  fate  ordained  its  utter  annihilation.  The 
route  was  due  north,  and  the  objective  point  was  the  Gulf 
of  Carpentaria,  supposed  distance  about  two  thousand 
miles.  The  caravan  caused  no  little  commotion  in  travers- 
ing the  settled  portion  of  the  country  embraced  in  the  first 
few  hundred  miles.  Cattle  and  horses  along  the  route 
stampeded  from  terror  at  the  sight,  and  even  at  the  smell 
of  the  camels,  wafted  on  the  breeze  in  advance  of  their  ap- 
pearance. It  was  said  that  some  wild  horses  on  the 
ranches  ran  thirty  miles  before  stopping,  such  is  their  in- 
stinctive aversion  to  and  terror  of  the  camel.  Men,  women 
and  children  along  the  line  and  from  stations  and  ranches 
many  miles  distant,  came  in  to  see  the  camels,  and  in 
nearly  every  instance  the  black  natives,  to  whom  the 
camels  were  alike  a  curiosity  and  a  dread,  compared  them 
to  the  emu,  for  the  reason,  I  suppose,  of  their  long  neck,  for 
in  no  other  feature  could  I  see  the  slightest  comparison. 
They  were  very  shy  of  them,  and  never  could  one  of  them 
be  induced  to  mount  the  animal  or  even  go  very  near  one. 
They  would  only  approach  in  crowds,  and  those  behind,  in 
their  eagerness  to  see,  would  push  those  in  front  uncom- 
fortably near,  and  when  the  camel  would  make  that 
gurgling  sound  which  it  often  does  when  displeased  or 
cross,  it  was  laughable  to  see  the  blacks  tumble  over  each 
other  to  get  out  of  his  way  or  reach,  for  they  invariably 
approached  in  squads  of  a  dozen  or  more.    The  men  had 


390  MR.    BURKE. 

much  sport  with  the  blacks  and  camels,  for  the  latter 
seemed  to  thoroughly  detest  the  blacks,  and  would  show 
viciousness  whenever  they  approached,  and  seemed  to 
know  the  blacks  were  afraid  of  them. 

I  had  rather  an  unenviable  position  among  so  many  inex- 
perienced men,  although  I  really  believe  there  was  not  one 
among  them  but  would  get  up  in  the  night  without  mur- 
mur, if  I  required  it  of  him.  Mr.  Burke  often  used  to  tell 
me  I  worked  too  hard,  and  would  ask  me  why  I  did  not 
let  the  men  do  it.  I  told  him  if  I  stood  and  looked  on  it 
would  take  till  doomsday  for  them  to  learn,  but  if  I  showed 
them  by  doing  it  myself,  they  would  eventually  learn .  Mr. 
Burke  was  an  Irishman,  and  a  gentleman  in  every  sense 
of  the  word.  He  had  been  an  officer  in  the  Austrian  army, 
and  was,  no  doubt,  a  good  soldier  and  a  brave  man,  but 
he  had  the  hasty  impulses  of  his  countrymen,  and  was  not 
calculated,  for  that  reason,  for  an  unwarlike  expedition  of 
that  kind.  He  was  kind  and  generous  to  a  fault,  but,  let 
anything  happen  out  of  the  common  routine,  he  was  con- 
fused, then  excited,  till  finally  he  would  lose  all  control  of 
his  better  judgment.  Then,  again,  when  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  do  a  thing,  he  never  considered  the  consequences. 
He  had  thorough  discipline,  and  no  one  dared  presume  to 
contradict  him.  Still,  if  taken  the  right  way,  one  could 
influence  him  to  a  change  of  order  or  policy.  Often  he 
would  come  to  me  with  an  order  which  to  me  seemed 
erroneous.  I  would  simply  say,  "Very  well,  Mr.  Burke"— 
that  was  enough  for  him  to  know  that  I  did  not  approve 
of  it.  He  would  at  once  ask  if  I  did  not  think  it  best  to 
do  so,  when  I  would  suggest  whether  it  would  not  be  pref- 


THE  ASTRONOMER  AND  ARTIST.  391 

erable  to  do  so  and  so,  and  he  would  at  once  say,  "You 
are  right;  do  as  you  like;  "  when,  if  one  had  said  to  him 
that  his  was  not  the  best  way,  he  would  have  it  done  his 
way,  let  it  result  as  it  might.  Landels  would  have  made  a 
better  leader  than  Mr.  Burke,  being  a  cooler  and  more  cal- 
culative  man,  with  a  good  deal  of  Indian  experience  before 
coming  over  with  the  camels. 

Young  Wills  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Wills  of  Ballarat,  and 
was  almost  a  native,  having  come  to  the  colonies  when 
a  mere  child.  He  was  an  attache  of  the  Melbourne 
observatory,  and  had  he  lived  would  have  made  his  mark 
in  the  world.  Dr.  Ludwig  Becker,  the  artist,  was  a  very 
genial  man,  always  trying  to  assist  someone,  not  as  yet 
having  had  opportunity  to  display  his  artistic  skill.  He 
often  asked  me  to  find  him  something  to  do  so  he  could 
assist  the  poor  men.  Finally,  one  day,  I  asked  Lanon,  an 
Irishman,  if  he  had  not  something  for  the  doctor  to  do. 
1 '  Yes,  sur,  of  coorse  I  have, ' '  said  he.  "  What  is  it, ' '  mildly 
asked  the  doctor.  "Groom  that  camel,"  said  he,  and  gave 
him  a  brush  and  pointed  him  to  one  of  the  most  vicious 
camels  in  the  whole  lot.  As  the  doctor  approached,  the 
camel  let  out  one  of  those  gurgling  sounds  which  frightened 
him,  and  he  asked  if  the  animal  was  kind.  "Kind  as  a 
lamb,  sur,"  said  Lanon.  Then  came  another  gurgle  and 
the  doctor  retreated.  "Just  say,  salaam,  salaam,  to  him," 
said  Lanon,  "and  he  will  be  kind  as  a  kitten,  sur."  The  doc- 
tor again  approached  cautiously,  pronounced  the  magic 
words,  and  at  last  got  his  brush  to  work  on  the  camel's 
fore  leg.  The  doctor  wore  a  pair  of  cotton  moleskin  pants, 
as  thick  as  a  board  and  twice  as  strong,  and  about  two 


392  GROOMING  THE  CAMEL. 

sizes  too  large  for  him,  especially  in  the  seat.  All  of  a 
sudden  I  heard  a  most  unearthly  yell  for  help,  in 
both  German  and  English.  I  looked  and  saw  the  doctor 
hanging  in  the  air,  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
camel  had  got  him  by  the  seat  of  his  pants,  between  his 
teeth,  and  was  raising  and  lowering  him,  to  the  height  of 
not  less  than  ten  feet,  the  doctor  kicking  and  swinging  his 
hands  and  calling  for  help,  when  at  last  the  pants  gave 
way,  and  just  at  the  moment  when  the  doctor  was  highest 
in  the  air,  down  he  came  upon  his  hands  and  knees, 
and  then  struck  out  without  waiting  to  regain  his  feet. 
While  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  laughing,  I  felt  the 
necessity  of  reproving  Lanon,  and  asked  him  why  he 
selected  that  vicious  camel  for  the  doctor.  He  looked  as 
solemn  and  sedate  as  a  judge  and  answered,  "I  never  saw 
him  do  the  likes  of  that  before,  sur."  Neither  had  I. 
However,  the  good  doctor  never  applied  for  any  more 
jobs. 

The  expedition  made  Cooper's  Creek  about  one  thou- 
sand miles  due  north  of  Melbourne,  on  the  sixteenth  of 
December,  and  there  made  a  cache  for  provisions  and 
supplies  and  established  a  relief  corps,  and  were  preparing 
to  proceed  in  pursuance  of  the  original  plan  and  in  accord- 
ance with  prior  instructions  for  the  second  half  of  the  jour- 
ney, the  terminus  of  which  was  the  southern  and  extreme 
point  of  the  bay  of  Carpentaria.  But  just  at  the  moment  of 
breaking  camp  new  orders  arrived  from  Melbourne  for  a 
division  of  the  party  with  a  view  to  divergence  into  three 
separate  routes,  ultimately  to  converge  at  a  common 
rendezvous  on  the  shores  of  the  great  northern  bay.    This 


394  IMPRACTICABLE  ORDERS— RESIGNATION. 

was  deemed  impracticable  by  those  in  charge  of  the 
expedition,  and  not  only  extra  hazardous,  but  contrary 
to  the  terms  of  their  contract  of  service.  The  order  not 
only  produced  consternation  for  the  increased  danger 
to  small  parties,  but  produced  a  state  of  unhappiness 
that  could  not  be  quieted  or  allayed.  Mr.  Burke,  true  and 
faithful  to  his  education  of  obedience,  regardless  of  con- 
sequences, even  in  a  remote  region  where  his  superiors 
could  have  no  knowledge  of  the  country  and  its  dangers, 
and  he  knowing  the  orders  unwise,  insisted  on  following 
instructions  to  the  letter.  Consequently  many  of  the 
men  refused  to  obey  Mr.  Burke's  orders  for  the  division 
of  the  party  of  the  expedition,  and  finding  cheerful  obed- 
ience to  duty  on  the  part  of  the  men  wholly  departed, 
and,  moreover,  finding  it  impracticable  to  manage  and 
be  responsible  for  three  separate  companies,  I  resigned 
my  commission  and  received  an  honorable  discharge  from 
Mr.  Burke,  and  returned  on  foot  and  alone  to  Melbourne. 
Mr.  Landels,  who  came  from  India  and  had  special  charge 
of  the  camels  and  the  camel  drivers  and  grooms,  soon 
followed  me.  The  diversity  of  sentiment  and  want  of 
common  and  mutual  interest  among  a  mixed  multitude, 
of  English,  Irish,  German,  Scotch  and  East  Indians,  but 
few,  if  any,  practical  business  or  even  working  men,  and 
none  of  them  experienced  in  border  life  and  the  hardships 
of  such  over-land  expeditions,  rendered  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  the  manager  of  the  train  doubly 
onerous. 

After  my  resignation  and  the  departure  of  Mr.  Landels, 
the  expedition,  in  some   manner,  resumed   its  northern 


THE  RESULT.  395 

course,  and  was  absent  and  lost  to  the  world,  and  even  to 
the  relief  corps  which  they  left  at  Cooper's  creek,  for  the 
space  of  four  months,  when  a  remnant  of  it  reached  there, 
April  21,  1860,  only  to  find  the  relief  corps  gone  and  noth- 
ing left  to  eat.  The  result  was,  every  vestige  of  the  expe- 
dition disappeared  forever,  save  only  one  man,  King, 
rescued  alive  from  the  blacks.  A  full  and  minute  history 
of  the  expedition  would  be  of  exceeding  interest  to  many, 
and  I  have  sometimes  thought  I  would  relate  it  from  its 
inception  to  its  tragic  end,  but  my  final  conclusion  is  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  do  so  without  casting 
reflections  upon  some  who  took  an  active  part  therein; 
besides,  files  of  innumerable  documents  of  conflicting  testi- 
mony are  in  the  archives  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Mel- 
bourne, and  as  the  terrible  tragedy  is  now  past  nearly 
thirty  years,  I  refrain  from  more  than  general  remark, 
treading  lightly  on  the  ashes  of  the  dead.  The  errors 
committed  on  either  side  were  errors  of  judgment  and  not 
of  motive — errors  of  the  head  and  not  the  heart.  It  was  a 
grand  scheme  and  enterprise  of  the  Royal  society  in  the 
interest  of  science  and  geographical  discovery,  and  its 
ultimate  catastrophe  is  not,  in  my  judgment,  chargeable 
upon  the  Royal  society.  Many  scandalous  slurs  were 
indulged  in  towards  that  honorable  body,  but  from 
my  own  personal  knowledge,  I  knew  the  insinuations 
were  groundless;  and  direst  charges  were  made  against 
the  society,  which  never  had  the  shadow  of  a  foundation 
in  truth. 

I  will  mention  only  the  general  progress  of  the  expedi- 
tion without  very  minute  details.    Our  progress  was  very 


396  GOVERNMENT  RELIEF  PARTY. 

slow  through  the  settled  portions  of  the  country,  mainly 
from  bad  roads,  or  rather  no  road  at  all  in  the  open 
country,  but  in  no  small  degree  detained  and  hindered  by 
visitors  who  swarmed  around  us,  many  coming  from  a 
distance  of  fifty  miles,  so  curious  were  they  to  see  the 
grand  cavalcade,  especially  the  camels  and  their  turbaned 
drivers  from  Hindoostan,  which  were  a  novelty  in  Austra- 
lia. The  men  gradually  became  accustomed  to  the  work, 
and  seemed  anxious  to  learn,  so  the  task  was  not  so  hard 
upon  me  as  at  first.  But  men  cannot  learn  their  work,  of 
this  nature,  in  a  week  nor  in  a  month,  however  anxious 
they  may  be  to  do  so.  And  I  do  now  and  here  wish  it  to 
be  distinctly  understood  that  I  do  not  assume  to  myself 
the  sole  and  exclusive  knowledge  of  the  management  of 
such  an  expedition  in  such  a  country,  or  that  I  was 
perfect  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  in  manners, 
temper  or  spirit;  but  I  did  then,  and  do  now  claim  that 
from  the  experiences  of  my  whole  life,  up  to  that  day,  I 
was  enabled  to  know,  and  did  know  my  business  as  well 
as,  and  even  better  than  anyone  else  connected  with  the 
expedition;  and  had  my  advice  been  followed,  touching 
the  route,  the  order  and  discipline  of  the  train  men,  I 
have  not  the  least  hesitancy  in  asserting  that,  in  my  judg- 
ment, the  expedition  would  have  returned  in  triumph. 

But  the  fate  of  the  Victorian  Exploring  expedition  is  now 
a  matter  of  hist ory  and  briefly  told.  It  succeeded  in  its  main 
object — to  cross  the  Australian  continent— the  first  ever  to 
have  accomplished  it— but  with  the  loss  of  the  entire  party 
save  one,  King,  who  alone  remained  to  relate  the  sorrowful 
tale.    A  government  relief  party  sent  out,  found  him  alive 


THE  SOLE  SURVIVOR.  397 

among  the  black  people  and  rescued  him— sick  and  emaci- 
ated, sad  and  sorrowful.    He  survived  but  a  short  time 

after  he  was  brought  in.    Burke's  and  Wills'  remains  were 

* 
found  and  brought  into  Melbourne,  where  they  were  buried 

with  honors  which  they  richly  deserved  and  for  which 

they  had  laid  down  their  lives.    And  now  there  is  a  noble 

monument  in  Melbourne  erected  to  the  memory  of  those 

men,  on  whose  paneled  base,  for  a  hundred  generations, 

may  be  read  the  honored  names  of  Burke  and  Wills,  as  the 

first  pioneers  to  cross  the  continent  of  Australia.    Lan- 

dels,  who  left  the  expedition  soon  after  I  did  and  returned 

to  Hindoostan,  has  since  died,  leaving  the  narrator  hereof 

the  sole  surviving  member  of  that  famous  expedition. 


398  THE  diggers'  triumph. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

After  Ten  Years  —  Invests  in  Quartz —  A  Failure— -Rush  to  New 
Zealand— Gets  a  City  Contract— Coach  Driving — Fox's  Diggings; 
—Lumbering  on  Waktepac  Lake— Lord  Trotter  and  His  Sheer 
—The  Mutton  Story— The  Raffle  for  the  Boat. 

TEN  years  had  now  passed  since  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  Australia.  In  that  time  there  had  been  a  great 
change  in  the  system  of  mining.  After  the  new  constitu- 
tion, the  miners  were  represented  in  parliament,  each  min- 
ing district  sending  a  member.  The  diggers  had  triumphed 
in  the  great  modern  principle  in  government — taxation  and 
representation  inseparable.  Henceforth  the  two  were  to- 
go  hand  in  hand,  and  the  first  fruits  thereof  were  laws 
made  in  conformity  to  the  interests  of  the  great  mining 
industries.  In  Ballarat  the  frontage  system  was  estab- 
lished. Before  that,  if  one  sunk  a  hole  and  it  proved  not 
to  be  on  the  lead  of  gold,  it  was  a  dead  loss ;  but  the  front- 
age system  gave  one  aclaim  on  the  lead  of  gold,  no  matter 
if  it  was  one  hundred  yards  from  where  you  sunk  your  shaft. 
Then  again,  there  was  no  protection  for  the  capitalist  until 
Frasier's  bill,  called  the  Limited  Liability  act,  became  a 
law.  This  law  only  held  one  liable  for  the  actual  amount 
he  individually  invested,  or,  in  common  parlance,  an  amount 
equal  to  his  stock.    This  encouraged  capitalists  to  invest 


QUARTZ  INVESTMENT  AND  FAILURE.  399 

largely,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  whole  country  was 
excited  by  the  quartz-mining  fever  that  had  broken  out  all 
at  once  in  Victoria.  There  were  many  companies  formed 
in  Ballarat,  Bendigo,  Castlemain,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  the 
alluvial  diggings,  and  were  the  means  of  opening  up  a  new 
country.  Companies  were  daily  forming.  Large  quartz 
mining  plants  were  being  erected ;  in  fact,  it  was  a  new  era 
in  the  mining  colonies. 

Among  the  rest,  I  was  carried  away  and  induced  to  in- 
vest in  the  Stiglitz  Quartz  Mining  Co.  and  in  the  Sailors* 
Reef  Co.,  the  latter  containing  only  three.  Our  prospects 
were  good  and  our  hopes  were  high,  way  up  above  the 
hundreds;  in  fact,  we  rather  overreached  ourselves,  and 
were  obliged  to  take  in  the  fourth  man  as  a  partner,  who 
furnished  twenty-five  hundred  pounds,  and  for  security 
took  a  bill  of  sale  on  the  Reef.  He  was  a  great  speculator, 
but  a  thoroughly  honest  man.  He,  however,  became  in- 
volved, his  creditors  shut  down  on  him  and  then  came 
down  on  the  Reef,  to  our  ruin.  We  were  turned  out  with- 
out a  pound  in  money  among  the  three.  In  less  than 
twelve  months  from  that  time  that  claim  sold  for  half  a 
million  of  dollars.  We  lost  all.  It  was  hard,  but  such  is 
the  fate  of  a  miner.  I  never  attached  any  blame  to  the 
man  that  failed,  for  it  killed  him,  poor  fellow !  and  liked  to 
have  killed  another  of  our  stockholders,  for  he  took  to 
drink  over  his  hard  luck  and  liked  to  have  killed  himself, 
and  would  have  done  so  had  it  not  been  for  his  brother, 
who  got  him  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  New  York.  I  have 
seen  him  in  New  York  since  my  return,  and  he  related  tome 
the  following  account  of  himself  after  leaving  the  colonies. 


400  SAILS  FOR  NEW  ZEALAND. 

When  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  he  had  not  the  least 
idea  where  he  was  or  where  he  was  going  to  until  the  cap 
tain  told  him.  When  he  landed  in  New  York  he  had  just 
half  a  crown  in  money  (sixty-two  and  a  half  cents).  His 
friends  lived  on  Long  Island,  but  he  made  up  his  mind  not 
to  go  to  them  until  he  got  a  little  start.  He  had  plenty  of 
good  clothes  and  that  was  all.  Before  leaving  New  York 
he  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  grocery  business,  and 
now  he  went  to  his  old  employer,  secured  a  job  and  stayed 
with  him  a  year,  never  letting  his  friends  know  he  had  re- 
turned. Then  his  old  employer  set  him  up  in  the  store 
where  I  found  him,  and  where  he  had  been  for  eighteen 
3'ears,  his  friends  not  knowing  for  over  two  years  of  his 
return  to  this  country.  His  other  partner  in  distress  got 
a  job  on  the  coaches. 

Just  at  that  time  a  great  rush  was  made  for  the  middle 
island  of  New  Zealand,  and  I  sailed  for  that  country  al- 
most dead  broke,  so  nearly  so  that  when  I  landed  in  Ga- 
briel's Gully,  all  I  had  in  the  world  was  thirty  shillings 
(seven  dollars  and  fifty  cents).  I  looked  around  for  a  hotel 
to  stop  for  a  night  and  saw  the  sign  of  the  Golden  Age, 
and  knew  it  was  kept  by  an  old  Victorian,  and  went  in 
and  asked  for  a  bed.  There  was  a  stranger  behind  the 
counter  who  told  me  that  the  house  was  full;  when  I 
turned  to  walk  out  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment  and 
sadness,  I  heard  a  voice  from  an  adjoining  room  sing 
out,  "As  full  as  we  are,  there  is  always  room  for  Charlie 
Ferguson."  I  knew  I  had  fallen  among  friends.  I  had, 
indeed,  for  had  I  been  looking  for -a  friend  in  need, 
which  is  the  friend  indeed,  I  could  never  have  found  a  bet- 


MEETS  RICHMOND  AT  OTAGO  401 

ter  one  than  Harry  Richmond.  He  was  as  much  surprised 
to  see  me  as  I  was  to  find  him  there,  for  he  had  heard  that 
I  had  made  a  fortune  and  returned  to  the  United  States. 
But  error  travels  faster  and  spreads  wider,  and  finds  ac- 
cess to  nooks  and  corners  and  out  of  the  way  places, 
which  easy-going  and  slow-paced  truth  never  overtakes 
or  finds.  Besides,  my  experience  is  that  one  is  never  sure 
of  a  fortune  until  he  has  grasped  it,  and  even  then  it  is 
liable  to  take  the  wings  of  the  morning,  or  the  afternoon, 
for  that  matter,  and  fly  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth ;  at  all  events,  generally,  so  far  as  to  be  hopelessly 
beyond  recovery. 

Richmond  related  his  history  since  we  last  met,  which 
was  full  of  the  usual  events  incident  to  the  life  of  a  gold 
seeker  in  the  Australian  colonies.  Immediately  after 
going  through  the  insolvent  court  in  Victoria,  he  left  to 
try  his  luck  in  other  gay  and  festive  scenes,  as  he  expressed 
it,  and  shipped  for  Otago,  on  the  middle  island  of  New 
Zealand.  Soon  after  his  arrival  the  gold  excitement 
broke  out  and  he  went  up  to  the  diggings,  and  there  I 
found  him  keeping  a  hotel  and  doing  a  first-class  business. 
In  return,  I  had,  of  course,  to  tell  him  of  my  career  since  I 
had  seen  him  ;  all  the  Melbourne  and  Sydney  news  of  men 
and  events ;  of  our  wreck  on  the  Sailor's  Reef,  and  the  fall 
of  the  house  of  Ferguson! 

He  at  once  extended  the  hand  of  friendship  and  informed 
me  that  there  was  an  opportunity  just  open  for  me.  A 
contract  was  to  be  let  the  next  morning  for  cutting,  exca- 
vating and  building* a  culvert  on  Main  street;  that  the 
fund  was  raised  and  he  was  treasurer;  that  proposals 


402  BECOMES  A  CITY  CONTRACTOR. 

were  called  for,  and  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  put  in  a  bid, 
and  I  was  sure  to  get  the  contract.  So,  in  pursuance  of 
his  suggestion,  I  wrote  out  proposals  to  do  the  work  in 
accordance  with  the  specifications  for  one  hundred  and 
sixty  pounds  sterling.  To  my  utter  astonishment  I  was 
the  accepted  contractor.  In  less  than  ten  days  after 
arriving  in  the  place  I  cleared  just  one  hundred  pounds  out 
of  the  contract  (five  hundred  dollars).  My  good  fortune 
did  not  stop  here,  for  no  sooner  had  I  completed  my  con- 
tract with  the  town  council  than  Mr.  Hoyt  came  up  to 
the  diggings  with  four  horses  and  drays  to  sell  to  the  dig- 
gers for  the  purpose  of  hauling  wash  dirt  from  the  claims 
to  the  creek  to  be  washed.  He  could  not  just  then  sell 
them  to  advantage,  and  I  made  him  an  oifer  to  work  them 
on  shares — an  equal  division  of  the  net  proceeds  after 
deducting  the  expense  of  keeping  and  drivers' wages,  which 
was  one  pound  a  day.  I  used  to  do  the  hustling— getting 
the  loading  and  seeing  that  they  were  not  idle.  Each  dray 
could  make  from  six  to  eight  pounds  per  day.  But  oats 
were  sixteen  shillings  per  bushel,  and  "chaff"  (bran  or 
shorts)  one  pound  per  hundred,  consequently  it  cost  about 
three  dollars  a  day  each  horse.  I  followed  this  for  about 
four  weeks,  when  the  work  was  all  done.  Upon  settle- 
ment with  the  owners  of  the  teams,  I  had  averaged  for 
myself,  all  expenses  being  paid,  six  pounds  (thirty  dollars) 
per  day.  I  then  received  orders  to  return  the  teams  to 
Dunedin  and  I  would  be  paid  for  my  trouble.  I  gave  out 
notice  the  day  before  I  was  to  start  that  I  would  take 
passengers  through  in  two  days  for  t*vo  pounds  per  head, 
and  I  was  soon  full— about  five  passengers  to  each  dray^ 


GAINS  A  LAWSUIT.  403 

I  gave  the  drivers  their  fare  for  driving.  I  collected  the 
fares  and  got  them  started,  and  when  the  stage  came  I 
got  into  the  coach  and  left  the  drays  to  come  after  me. 

Upon  arriving  in  Dunedin  I  was  at  once  offered  a  job 
as  coach  driver.  I  took  it  and  remained  with  the  coaches 
about  three  months,  when  I  returned  to  Victoria  to  attend 
a  lawsuit  in  which  I  was  a  party.  Of  the  four  months 
I  had  been  on  the  island  I  had  not  been  idle  a  day.  I  had 
made  from  eight  to  forty  pounds  a  week,  averaging  over 
eighteen  pounds,  and  should  not  have  left  but  for  the  law- 
suit I  had  in  hand,  which  required  my  presence  and  which, 
like  taxes,  must  be  attended  to.  Thus  ends  the  first  lesson 
in  New  Zealand. 

Having  gained  my  suit  in  Victoria  and  a  verdict  of  three 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  pounds,  I  was  ready  to  return  to 
New  Zealand.  The  first  discovery  of  gold  in  that  island  was 
in  a  locality  called  Gabriel's  Gully,  and  a  small  area  of  the 
surrounding  district.  Then  there  was  a  lapse  of  some 
«ight  months  before  any  more  discoveries  were  made,  and 
the  miners  began  to  think  that  gold  rushing,  as  it  was 
called,  was  at  an  end  in  that  island.  The  government 
had  a  standing  reward  of  two  thousand  pounds  for  the 
discovery  of  a  paying  gold  field  anywhere  outside  of 
thirty  miles  from  those  already  opened,  and  many  were 
the  prospecting  parties  who  hoped  to  make  the  necessary 
discovery  and  secure  the  reward.  '  For  a  long  time  no  one 
claimed  the  government  bounty.  The  government  itself 
sent  out  prospecting  parties,  but  none  as  yet  had  discov- 
ered signs  of  the  glittering  treasure.  At  last  two  diggers 
arrived  in  Dunedin,  Hartley  and  Johnston,  and  presenting 


404         THE  NEW  ZEALAND  GOLD  RUSH. 

themselves  at  the  treasury  office  claimed  the  reward, 
exhibiting  at  the  same  time  in  proof  of  their  claim  forty 
pounds  weight  of  fine  gold,  which  they  had  obtained  in 
six  weeks  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from 
Dunedin,  at  a  place  called  Dunston,  on  the  Molonox  river. 
The  news  spread  like  wild-fire  throughout  the  three  islands, 
and  the  first  steamer  that  arrived  in  Melbourne  brought 
the  news.  Victoria  was  instantly  in  a  blaze  of  excite- 
ment, and  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours  steamers  were 
chartered,  and  daily  thereafter  left  the  Melbourne  docks 
literally  thronged  with  human  freight,  and  this  was  kept 
up  for  weeks  and  until  one  would  think,  who  never  had 
been  there,  that  Otago  would  be  as  crowded  as  were  the 
steamers  with  merchandise  and  traders  and  the  number- 
less eager  and  anxious  diggers  whose  bosoms  glowed 
with  hopes  and  fond  expectations.  But,  alas,  not  one 
in  ten  ever  had  their  expectations  realized. 
\  The  island  of  Otago  had  only  been  settled  a  few  years, 
and  consequently  was  not  prepared  for  any  such  sudden 
influx  of  population,  so  it  naturally  had  the  effect  to  open 
up  an  immense  trade  with  the  neighboring  colonies,  par- 
ticularly with  Melbourne  and  Sydney.  Merchants  shipped 
large  cargoes  of  groceries  and  goods  of  all  descriptions, 
and  cattle  and  horses  were  shipped  daily  on  the  same 
extensive  scale.  I  was  employed  by  Messrs.  Henry  and' 
Charles  Hoyt  to  go  over  with  horses.  The  latter  gentle- 
man was  already  there,  where  he  had  put  on  a  line  of  Cobb 
&  Company's  coaches.  I  made  several  trips  for  that  firm, 
and  was  also  employed  by  them  in  Dunedin  for  consider- 
able time. 


DUNSTON— THE  FOX  DIGGINGS.  405 

But  there  is  something  so  infatuating  about  gold  dig- 
ging to  one  who  has  once  been  employed  in  it,  that  it 
seems  almost  impossible  for  one  to  be  cured  of  it  or  to 
keep  out  of  it,  especially  when  one  is  constantly  hearing 
of  those  who  had  made  wonderful  strikes  and  sudden 
fortunes.  One  never  hears  from  the  unlucky  ones,  the 
unfortunate  and  the  desponding.  They,  however,  keep 
plodding  on,  still  hoping  for  a  change  in  their  luck,  for 
luck  it  is,  after  all. 

The  feeling  was  over  me  and  was  irresistible,  and  I  de- 
termined to  once  more  try  my  luck,  and  this  time  in  the 
gold  mines  of  New  Zealand.  I  started  for  the  Dunst on.  A 
fresh  gold  field  had  just  been  opened  on  the  Arrow  river, 
about  fifty  miles  from  Dunst  on,  by  one  William  Fox,  and 
was  called  Fox's  diggings.  Three  of  us  bought  a  horse  and 
pack-saddle,  for  which  we  paid  seventy-two  pounds,  packed 
our  blankets  and  tools  and  started.  When  we  arrived  we 
heard  of  another  creek  called  Skipper's  creek,  up  in  the 
mountains,  and  they  are  mountains  indeed,  mountains 
that  are  almost  impossible  to  crawl  up,  especially  for  a 
horse,  with  cliffs  of  rocks  where  one  will  be  obliged  to  crawl 
along  the  side  of  a  precipice  where  a  misstep  would  send 
him  hundreds  of  feet  below.  As  we  were  passing  over  one 
of  these  places  our  horse  stepped  on  a  loose  stone,  slipped 
and  went  over,  nearly  taking  Jim  Cornish,  who  was  lead- 
ing him,  also.  He  had  hung  on  to  him  as  long  as  possible, 
hoping  to  save  him,  but  was  finally  obliged  to  let  go,  and 
over  the  poor  horse  went ;  and  his  bones  are  doubtless  there 
at  the  bottom  to  this  day,  if  he  is  not  yet  falling,  for  the 
chasm  into  which  he  fell  seemed  bottomless.    It  was  utterly 


406  THE   HOGBACK— TIMBER. 

impossible  for  us  to  get  down  to  our  blankets  and  tools 
and  provisions,  and  so  we  lost  the  whole. 

This  may  seem  incredible  to  those  who  have  never  been 
in  New  Zealand;  nevertheless,  it  is  a  fact  which  will  be 
borne  out  by  thousands  who  have  traveled  through  that 
country  prospecting  as  I  have.  Many  persons  have  lost 
their  lives  in  the  same  manner  as  our  poor  horse  lost  his. 
I  remember  a  place  called  the  Hogback — some  two  hundred 
yards  across  it — where  a  person  dared  not  cross  when  the 
wind  was  blowing  hard,  for  fear  of  being  blown  over  either 
one  side  or  the  other,  it  being  hundreds  of  feet  down  on 
either  side,  and  so  nearly  perpendicular  that  it  was  impos- 
sible for  one  to  stand.  After  losing  our  horse  we  went 
backtoQueenstown,  alittle  towji  that  had  sprung  upsince 
the  diggings  opened,  situated  on  Lake  Waktepac,  which 
is  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  inward  from  Dune- 
din.  It  is  a  chasm  of  fresh  water  about  seventy  miles  long 
and  from  half  a  mile  to  three  miles  wide.  It  is  said  to  be 
unfathomable  in  some  parts,  and  has  a  very  strong  under- 
current, so  much  so  that  if  a  man  falls  overboard  in  the 
middle,  he  is  seldom  rescued.  I  have  some  doubts  of  the 
correctness  of  that  statement,  for  I  once  jumped  from  a 
raft  in  the  middle  of  that  lake  and  am  here  still.  However, 
as  I  struck  the  water  I  managed  to  catch  hold  of  the  stern 
of  a  boat,  and  pulled  myself  into  it. 

There  is  no  timber  on  the  middle  island  except  in  a  few 
places.  About  eight  miles  from  Dunedin  is  a  small  patch 
of  some  twenty  acres,  and  another  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Munkatoon  of  about  one  hundred  acres,  also  another 
patch  at  the  head  of  Lake  Waktepac.    This  last  timber 


WRECKED  ON  WAKTEPAC  LAKE.         407 

was  on  an  island  about  twenty-five  miles  above  Queens- 
town,  and  consisted  of  poles  from  three  to  five  inches  in 
thickness.  They  were  in  demand  for  building  purposes  and 
would  bring  from  one  to  six  dollars  apiece  in  Queenstown. 
Four  of  us  concluded  to  cut  a  few  thousand  and  float  them 
down  on  a  raft.  We  paid  one  hundred  pounds  for  a  boat 
whichhad  been  brought  to  the  lake  by  wagon,  and  launched 
and  started  for  the  little  wooded  island.  We  were  not  long 
in  cutting  poles  enough  to  make  a  good-sized  raft,  tying 
them  together  with  New  Zealand  flax,  which  grows  abun- 
dantly in  all  parts  of  that  country.  Our  raft  completed, 
we  started  on  the  downward  voyage  about  the  middle  of 
the  day,  expecting  to  get  into  port  by  the  next  morning, 
as  the  weather  was  good  and  there  was  a  full  moon. 
There  was  a  slight  wind  in  our  favor,  and  we  fixed  up  a 
mast,  and  for  a  sail  put  up  a  pair  of  our  blankets,  which 
helped  us  along  wonderfully.  We  got  on  finely  until  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  had  made  nearly  half  the  dis- 
tance, which  put  us  in  good  spirits,  so  much  so  that  we  had 
already  begun,  like  the  girl  in  the  Webster's  Spelling  Book, 
to  count  up  our  profits  and  consider  how  we  would  invest 
the  proceeds,  when,  upon  rounding  the  elbow  of  the  lake, 
which  was  just  half  the  way,  we  met  a  squall.  Never  was 
there  another  place  on  lake  or  ocean,  where  a  squall  will 
materialize  in  less  time  and  without  giving  the  slightest 
notice,  and  where  water  will  become  rougher,  than  on  Lake 
Waktepac. 

In  less  than  ten  minutes'  time  the  waves  were  rolling, 
and  the  raft  was  pitching  and  liable  to  come  to  pieces  at 
any  moment.    I  was  on  the  raft  and  at  once  took  in  the 


408  A  SAM   PATCH  LEAP. 

sails  by  pulling  out  the  mast.  I  at  once  saw  my  situation1 
and  called  out  to  the  boys  to  let  go  the  tow-line,  which 
they  did.  Then  how  was  I  to  get  off  and  into  the  boat? 
There  was  little  difficulty  in  getting  off,  but  plenty  in  get- 
ting into  the  boat.  If  they  came  too  near  there  was 
danger  of  the  raft  plunging  upon  and  swamping  the  boat. 
My  only  chance  was  to  make  a  regular  Sam  Patch  leap, 
and  for  that  I  prepared  by  divesting  myself  of  coat  and 
boots.  The  boys  got  as  near  as  they  dared,  keeping  the 
stern  of  the  boat  to  the  raft.  I  crawled  to  the  edge  of  the 
raft,  and  as  she  rose  to  the  waves  I  jumped.  The  boys 
afterwards  said  that  when  they  saw  me  in  the  air  they 
were  sure  I  was  coming  into  the  boat  on  top  of  them.  I 
struck  the  water  just  at  the  stern  of  the  boat  and  grabbed 
the  gunwale  and  held  it  with  a  sure  grasp  and  sang  out 
to  the  boys  to 

"  Stretch  to  their  oars  for  the  evergreen  pine," 

or  the  raft  would  be  on  top  of  boat  and  all.  The  man  a 
the  stern  pulled  me  in  and  I  breathed  freely  once  more.  I 
really  believe  the  others  were  more  frightened  than  myself. 
However,  I  felt  that  I  never  had  had  a  closer  call,  and 
fully  made  up  my  mind  then  and  there  that  if  I  was  spared 
that  trip  I  would  leave  sailing  and  rafting  to  others  that 
understood  the  business  better  than  I  did. 

The  squall  did  not  cease  for  half  an  hour,  then  it  dropped 
as  quickly  as  it  rose,  but  not  until  our  raft  was  a  wreck, 
when  we  pulled  ashore  and  camped  for  the  night.  The 
next  morning  we  patrolled  along  the  shore  and  picked  up 
a  great  number  of  poles  which  had  washed  upon  the 


A  BOAT  ADVENTURE.  409 

beach,  and  were  all  day  mustering  them  and  putting  them 
together,  and  at  last  brought  into  port  and  sold  out  the 
remnant  of  our  original  cargo  of  lumber.  There  was  not 
a  member  of  our  lumbering  firm  but  had  had  enough  of 
the  timber  trade  or  boating  on  Lake  Waktepac.  We  put 
up  our  boat  to  be  raffled  for  by  fifty  ticket-holders  at  two 
pounds  each,  the  members  of  our  lumber  company  holding 
each  one's  share.  Here  my  luck  stood  me  in  once  more, 
when  I  won  the  prize,  having  thrown  the  highest  number. 
Now  I  had  some  visible  means  of  livelihood  and  support — 
some  tangible  property  and  estate — something  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  subject,  at  least,  to  taxation — property — this 
world's  goods,  long  hankered  after. 

Down  at  the  foot  of  the  lake  another  town  had  sprung 
up,  called  Providence,  wThere  some  gold  had  been  obtained 
in  the  surrounding  mountains,  and  I  determined  to  try 
my  luck  there.  A  man  named  Hager,  I  think,  a  Canadian 
from  Hamilton,  Ontario,  or  near  there,  and  myself  started 
for  the  place  in  my  boat.  And  now  I  had  another  adventure 
in  that  boat.  The  wind  was  in  our  favor,  being  astern, 
our  blanket  sails  spread,  when  a  squall  struck  us  within 
three  miles  of  our  destination.  The  waves  ran  almost 
mountain  high  and  the  whole  town  was  out  to  see  us  land, 
or  rather  see  us  thrown  ashore.  Down  we  came  with 
the  rushing  of  the  wind  and  wave,  for  we  could  not  do 
otherwise.  As  good  luck  would  have  it,  it  was  a  sand 
beach,  and  a  wave  "carried  us  in  and  landed  us  high  and  dry. 
We  got  out  as  though  nothing  had  happened,  or  as 
though  that  was  our  accustomed  style  of  landing,  and 
with  the  help  of  the  spectators  pulled  our  boat  out  further 


410  IN  THE  WILDERNESS  WITH  HAGER. 

upon  the  sandy  beach.  They  had  expected  to  see  us 
washed  back  by  the  waves  and  our  boat  upset.  I  now 
firmly  resolved  that  this  should  be  ray  last  appearance 
as  a  sailor  on  the  high  seas  of  Lake  Waktepac. 

Like  all  new  towns  in  those  excitable  times,  one  can 
find  plenty  ready  to  go  into  a  raffle,  so  that  night  I  put 
up  my  boat  to  be  raffled  for,  and  it  was  won  by  a  man 
who  had  his  name  down  on  the  list  of  " stockholders," 
but  had  not  paid  for  his  " stock;"  so  I  took  the  boat 
around  and  left  it  in  charge  of  a  business  man  named 
Colton,  whom  I  had  known  in  Victoria,  with  instruction 
to  deliver  it  to  the  winner  when  he  paid  the  two  pounds. 
I  left  with  Hager  the  same  morning  on  a  prospecting  tour, 
and  we  were  gone  about  two  weeks.  We  wandered  on  and 
on  without  satisfactory  results  until  our  provisions  were 
exhausted,  having  eaten  the  last  morsel  before  setting  out 
on  our  return,  and  never  thinking  we  had  got  so  faraway. 
"We  walked  all  day  carrying  our  blankets  and  tools  on 
our  backs,  and  just  at  dark  came  out  to  where  we  knew 
we  were  still  twenty-five  miles  from  Providence,  and  no 
chance  of  getting  anything  to  eat  until  we  arrived  there. 
We  had  heard  there  was  an  old  fellow  by  the  name  of 
Trotter,  a  "  squatter,  "  or  station  man  nearby,  who  would 
neither  give  nor  sell  anything  to  a  digger,  for  many  of 
those  old  primitive  squatters  felt  very  sore,  not  to  say 
indignant  at  the  diggers  coming  into  the  country.  We 
neld  a  consultation,  and  while  doing  so  we  heard  the 
bleating  of  sheep  not  more  than  a  mile  distant.  They 
run  in  flocks  of  two  or  three  thousand.  We  went  down 
~to  where  they  were  without  a  shepherd,  old  Trotter  being 


SLAUGHTERS  TROTTER'S  SHEEP.  411 

too  stingy  to  keep  one.  I  told  Hager  to  go  around  on 
the  other  side  and  drive  them  up,  knowing  by  the  way 
they  were  heading  that  they  were  sure  to  run  between 
two  big  rocks,  and  when  he  saw  them  going  through  to 
reach  for  one  of  the  hind  ones,  and  I  would  plant  myself 
behind  the  rocks  and  rush  out  and  catch  one.  We  soon 
had  a  good,  fine  fat  one,  which  we  were  not  long  in  dress- 
ing. Our  greatest  difficulty  now  was  to  procure  fuel  for 
cooking,  but  we  succeeded  in  gathering  a  sort  of  coarse 
bush.  I  think  they  call  it  morley  bush,  which,  when  dry, 
is  a  good  substitute  for  wood.  There  is  no  difficulty  in 
New  Zealand  in  getting  a  thin,  flat  stone,  not  thicker 
than  a  clapboard,  which  will  stand  any  amount  of  heat 
without  breaking,  and  on  one  of  these  we  cooked  our 
mutton,  eating  the  same  without  salt  or  pepper,  and  were 
satisfied. 

The  next  morning  we  breakfasted  on  the  same  and  were 
ready  for  a  start,  the  only  perplexity  being  the  idea  of 
having  to  leave  so  much  good  mutton  unconsumed.  There 
was  a  law  in  New  Zealand  that  one  could  not  be  prose- 
cuted when  one  was,  as  we  were,  in  a  famishing  condition, 
for  killing  a  sheep,  as  long  as  he  took  only  what  he  could 
eat;  but  if  he  moved  or  carried  any  away  with  him,  he  was 
then  subject  to  the  law.  Mutton  was  worth  thirty-seven 
cents  a  pound,  even  in  that  land  where  flocks  were  counted 
by  thousands.  It  was  a  pity,  I  thought,  to  leave  so  much 
good  mutton  behind,  so  I  cut  off  the  legs  with  our  hatchet, 
rolled  the  remainder  in  the  blankets,  determined  to  carry 
it  along,  very  much  against  Hager's  inclination. 

We  started,  but  had  not  traveled  more  than  two  miles 


412      MEETS  LORD  TROTTER  FACE  TO  FACE. 

before  we  saw  a  horseman  coming  towards  us.  "  There 
comes  old  Trotter,"  said  Hager;  "what  shall  we  do  with 
our  sheep?"  "  Let  him  come,"  said  I;  "he  can't  whip  two 
of  us,  and  I  doubt  if  he  can  one."  As  he  came  nearer  we 
saw,  sure  enough,  it  was  my  lord  Trotter,  the  great 
squatter  of  the  domain;  one  of  the  "Shepherd  Kings" 
of  the  island,  like  unto  such  as  once  established  a  dynasty 
in  Egypt.  As  soon  as  he  was  near  enough  we  approached 
him  with  a  bold  front,  saluted  him,  and  bade  him  good 
morning.  I  pulled  off  my  blankets  and  mutton,  threw 
them  on  the  ground,  took  out  my  pipe  and  filled  it,  took 
a  seat  on  my  blankets  and  mutton,  and  struck  up  a  con- 
versation with  him— telling  him  where  we  had  been,  the 
poor  success  we  had  had,  and  where  we  were  going.  He 
remained  with  us  some  twenty  minutes;  enquired  if  we  had 
seen  any  sheep  on  our  route.  We  gave  him  the  desired  in- 
formation, but  took  good  care  not  to  direct  him  so  he 
would  go  near  where  we  camped  the  night  before. 
[This  mutton  story  got  out  and  traveled  over  seven 

r 

hundred  miles,  to  Melbourne,  and  when  Ferguson  returned 
there  it  was  told  by  his  genial  friends  on  public  occasions, 
with  many  additions  and  embellishments,  to  his  expense 
of  many  boxes  of  cigars.  The  substance  of  the  story,  as 
there  told,  was  that  Ferguson  stole  a  sheep  and  was 
caught  by  the  lordly  proprietor  just  as  he  was  in  the  act 
of  cutting  its  throat ;  that,  being  threatened  with  prose- 
cution, he  straightened  up  and  deliberately  wiping  his 
bloody  knife,  looked  the  owner  straight  in  the  eye  and 
sternly  replied:  "Do  you  think  I  would  let  any  damned 
sheep  bite  me?"— Editor.] 


CONTEST   FOR  A  BOAT.  413 

Upon  arriving  at  Providence  I  found  that  Colton  had 
lent  the  boat  for  a  few  hours,  and  it  had  not  been  returned. 
The  man  who  won  it  in  the  raffle  had  sent  the  person 
around,  taking  that  method  of  getting  possession  without 
paying  the  two  pounds.  I  was  not  long  in  going  to  where 
the  boat  was  moored  and  took  it  back  to  Colton's.  Upon 
landing  I  was  met  by  the  man  and  a  crowd  of  eight  or  ten 
persons.  He  demanded  the  boat.  I  refused  to  let  him 
have  it  unless  he  paid  me  the  money  he  owed  me.  This  he 
refused,  saying  at  the  same  time  he  would  take  the  boat 
and  thrash  the  ground  with  me  also.  The  crowd  being 
mostly  strangers,  I  explained  to  them  how  matters  stood, 
telling  them  if  he  paid  me  the  money  he  was  welcome  to 
the  boat,  but  unless  he  did  he  should  not  have  it.  I  saw 
at  once  I  had  gained  a  point  among  the  respectable  por- 
tion of  the  bystanders,  and  that  gave  me  courage.  He 
came  up  to  take  the  "painter"  out  of  my  hand.  He  was 
surprised  to  find  himself  very  suddenly  laid  on  his  back, 
but  he  was  not  long  in  coming  up  again.  This  time  I 
caught  him,  and  giving  him  a  whirl,  sent  him  into  the 
lake.  Where  we  were  that  moment  the  shore  was  rather 
bluff,  and  the  water  was  over  his  head.  I  thought,  by  his 
actions,  he  could  not  swim,  and  I  caught  hold  of  him  and 
pulled  him  out.  He  thought  I  was  going  to  hold  him 
there  and  he  begged  for  his  life,  promising  to  pay  me  if  I 
would  let  him  out.  The  bounce  was  all  taken  out  of  him. 
He  borrowed  the  money  of  one  of  his  friends,  paid  me  and 
took  the  boat.  That  is  the  last  boat  I  ever  owned  or 
probably  ever  shall.  I  had  had  enough  of  prospecting  in 
New  Zealand — never  having  dug  out  one  ounce  of  gold  in 
the  province— and  returned  to  Dunedin. 


414?      NEW  ZEALAND  CLIMATE— RETURN  TO  VICTORIA. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Butchering  in  New  Zealand— The  Natives— Cannibal  Memories — 
Returning  to  Melbourne— Sickness— Sons  of  Freedom  Company 
—  Colonies  Described— Botany  Bay  Convicts— Tasmania  — Cap- 
ture of  Buckley— Birds  and  Animals— Natives— The  Boomerang 
—Lost  Children— Trackers— Rabbits— Churches— Education- 
Parliament— Products  and  Commerce. 

HERE  at  Dunedin  an  opening  presented  itself— which  I 
thought  favorably  of— to  embark  in  the  butchering 
business,  at  a  place  about  fifteen  miles  out  of  town.  Meat 
was  selling  at  eighteenpence  a  pound,  or  one  shilling  retail. 
I  had  a  good  chance  to  buy  cattle  cheap  from  the  shippers, 
as  in  shipping  some  get  crippled  and  cannot  be  driven,  and 
such  I  bought,  and  was  generally  able  to  double  my  money. 
I  followed  the  business  about  six  months.  The  climate  of 
New  Zealand,  especially  in  and  around  Dunedin,  is  cold  and 
damp,  with  very  heavy  fogs,  sometimes  lasting  the  entire 
day.  I  contracted  the  asthma,  which  laid  me  prostrate, 
and  was  compelled  by  reason  thereof  to  return  to  Victoria. 
New  Zealand  was  first  only  a  whaling  port.  Wellington 
is  the  capital.  The  first  immigrants  were  principally  Scotch, 
and  they  had  much  trouble  with  the  natives,  or  Maories,  a 
race  akin  to  the  Malays,  of  dark  brown  complexion,  trim 
built,  tall  and  possessing  considerable  intellectual  bright- 


MAORI  WARFARE.  415 

ness.  The  first  serious  outbreak  was,  I  think,  in  1850. 
British  soldiers  were  called  upon  to  put  them  down,  but 
soon  found  they  had  a  more  difficult  job  than  they  had  an- 
ticipated. The  Ninety-ninth  regiment  was  almost  anni- 
hilated by  the  Maories,  who  fought  in  ambush.  A  peace 
was  finally  patched  up  which  lasted  some  ten  or  twelve 
years,  when  the  Maories  again  became  dissatisfied.  This 
time  the  Twelfth  and  Fortieth  regiments  were  sent  to 
put  them  down,  but  found  they  had  undertaken  more  than 
they  had  bargained  for.  The  British  soldiers  are  brave  in 
battle — perhaps  there  are  none  more  so  when  they  can  meet 
their  foe  face  to  face  as  warriors  on  the  field — but  they  are 
disciplined,  and  are  like  a  piece  of  machinery — if  one  part 
goes  wrong,  all  is  wrong.  They  cannot  fight  and  skulk, 
and  that  is  the  method  of  Maori  warfare.  In  1863  they 
undertook  to  drive  the  Maories  out  of  their  stronghold,  or 
pah,  as  the  Maories  call  it.  They  met  with  a  fierce  resist- 
ance and  were  attacked  on  all  sides,  the  Maories  fighting 
in  ambush.  The  soldiers  became  panic-stricken  and  broke, 
and  then  followed  a  most  barbarous  slaughter  of  British 
soldiers. 

The  New  Zealand  government  now  called  for  volunteers, 
raw  recruits,  offering  each  volunteer  eighty  acres  of  land, 
five  shillings  a  day  and  found,  to  fight  the  Maories. 
Soon  men  enough  were  enrolled  and  under  arms  to  swamp 
all  the  tribes  of  the  country,  and  being  raw  recruits,  to  the 
manor  born,  and  subject  to  no  restraints  of  military  pride 
and  discipline  of  the  professional  British  soldier,  they  fought 
the  natives  after  their  own  style,  and  reduced  them  to 


416  MAORIES— TATTOOING. 

obedience  and  order.    There  has  since  been  occasionally  a 
threatened  outbreak,  which  has  been  nipped  in  the  bud. 

A  great  portion  of  New  Zealand  is  mountainous  and 
rough,  having  the  appearance  of  a  marine  origin,  and  as 
having  been  thrown  up  out  of  the  waters,  which  were 
gathered  together  and  called  seas  in  the  hurried  momenjts 
of  the  six  days  of  creation,  and  which  the  harrow  of  time 
lias  been  unable  to  smooth  down.  It  is  subject  to  earth- 
quakes, for  I  felt  no  less  than  three  in  the  short  time  I  was 
there.  Portions  of  the  country  are  the  very  best  of  agri- 
cultural land,  especially  in  the  northern  and  middle  islands. 
The  southern  island  is  well  timbered,  and  the  principal 
product  lumber.  The  northern  has  a  mild  climate  and  is 
very  healthy,  while  the  middle  and  southern  are  cold,  damp 
and  foggy,  which  I  don't  admire.  The  settlers  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  northern  island — the  canny  Scot — 
looking  out  for  the  sixpence.  When  the  diggings  broke  out 
they  were  at  a  loss  how  much  to  charge  for  an  article,  but 
never  in  my  experience  did  I  fall  in  with  one  that  failed  to 
charge  enough. 

The  Maories  are  as  fine-looking  a  race  of  people  as  I  ever 
•saw,  except  by  the  manner  in  which  they  make  themselves 
hideous  by  their  fashion  of  tattooing  themselves.  They 
were  once  cannibals,  and  there  are  some  alive  to-day  who 
in  their  youthful  days  feasted  on  human  flesh,  and  when 
the  "  oldest  inhabitants"  get  together  now,  they  talk  over 
the  good  old  times,  before  civilization  came  in  to  interfere 
with  the  rights  of  the  people,  when  fragrant  soups  and 
tender  cutlets  were  made  from  the  bodies  of  prisoners  of 
war,  and  delicious  steaks  were  cut  from  the  body  of  the 


417 

hapless  missionary.  They  used  to  keep  their  captive  foes 
as  a  farmer  kept  a  flock  of  sheep— to  fatten  and  kill  when 
wanted,  especially  for  the  occasion  of  the  cannibal 
Thanksgiving  day.  But  they  do  things  differently  in  New 
Zealand  now.  To  say  they  are  an  industrious  people 
would  be  saying  too  much,  although  they  work  at  farm- 
ing and  other  occupations ;  yet  they  are  never  known  to 
hurt  themselves  with  work.  They  are  civil,  and  when 
well  treated  are  hospitable  and  kind.  Theircolor  is  about 
the  cast  of  our  North  American  Indians,  but  they  have 
nothing  near  the  energetic  spirit  and  action  of  our  Indians 
on  the  western  plains.  There  are  but  a  very  few  natives 
in  the  Middle  island  now.  At  a  place  called  Tokomoria, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Dunedin,  a  few  families  alone 
remain.  Wellington,  Nelson  and  Auckland  are  the  princi- 
pal cities  on  the  North  island,  and  Dunedin  and  Invakargle 
on  the  Middle  island. 

Upon  my  arrival  in  Melbourne  I  consulted  Dr.  Gilbey, 
who  advised  me  to  quit  the  city  and  make  for  the  ranges. 
I  took  his  advice  and  started  for  Woods'  Point.  This  por- 
tion of  the  country  had  undergone  a  great  change  since  I 
had  been  there  two  years  before.  It  was  then  one  of  the 
roughest  parts  of  Victoria.  There  was  only  now  and  then 
a  camp  of  diggers.  The  place  was  opened  up  by  one 
Harry  Woods,  an  American,  who  had  much  difficulty  in 
getting  in  and  out  through  the  dense  thicket  of  scrub.  It 
is  a  hilly  country  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Gouldbourne 
river,  just  on  the  divide,  where  the  waters  run  each  way, 
one  into  a  tributary  of  the  Murray,  which  runs  through 
the  interior  and  empties  into  the  ocean  at  Adelaide,  South 


418  GIPPS'   LAND  RANGES   AND  REEFS. 

Australia;  the  other  into  the  head  of  the  Yarra  Yarra, 
which  empties  into  Port  Phillip,  three  miles  south  of  Mel- 
bourne. All  these  tributaries  are  gold-bearing,  and  have 
been  worked  more  or  less,  and  some  have  proved  very  rich. 
Then  there  are  numerous  other  streams  which  empty  into 
the  Thomson  and  Avon  rivers,  tributaries  to  the  Gipps' 
Land  lakes,  likewise  rich  in  gold.  Further  north  is  the 
Crooked  river,  the  Wangongaree  and  the  Dargo,  forming 
the  Mitchel,  which  also  empties  into  that  chain  of  lakes, 
and  all  of  which  are  gold-bearing.  This  wild,  mountainous, 
and  woody  country  has  an  area  of  some  three  hundred 
miles,  and  is  one  hundred  in  length.  Here  are  the  richest 
quartz  reefs  in  Australia,  among  them  the  Woods'  Point 
reef,  Stringer's  Creek  reef  and  many  others.  In  the  last- 
named  creek  is  Walhalla  reef,  also  the  Long  Tunnel.  Prob- 
ably more  gold  has  been  extracted  from  these  two  reefs 
than  from  any  other  two  reefs  in  the  world — the  Long 
Tunnel  having  produced  over  one  million  ounces  of  smelted 
gold  or  forty-one  tons  in  round  numbers.  Walhalla  was 
its  rival  in  production;  besides,  there  were  many  others 
very  rich.  Upon  all  these  reefs  were  erected  very  large, 
extensive  and  costly  machines,  all  of  the  most  modern 
style. 

Reefs  are  now  being  opened  all  through  the  Gipps'  Land 
ranges,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  gold  mining  in  that  part 
of  Australia  is  still  (1887)  in  its  infancy,  though  numerous 
very  rich  reefs  have  been  opened  up  within  the  last  five 
years,  and  others  being  almost  daily  discovered.  When  I 
first  went  to  this  part  of  the  country  it  had  been  opened 
only  a   short   time,  and    the   mining   was   confined    to 


GORDON,    DARGO   AND  OMAO   DIGGINGS.  419 

alluvial  diggings,  the  miners  never  thinking  it  would  ever 
be  possible  to  get  machinery  up  there  to  work  the  quartz 
reefs,  for  its  roughness  was  something  frightful,  besides 
being  almost  impenetrable  for  the  scrub,  which  literally  tore 
one's  clothing  into  rags.  There  are  also  magnificent  forests 
of  the  tallest  and  finest  trees  in  the  world.  In  the  Dan- 
dinong  range  are  trees  that  are  admitted  to  be  the  largest 
and  finest  splitting  timber  in  any  country.  I  have  seen  a 
mountain  ash  felled  and  split  into  palings  or  weather 
boards  for  houses,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the 
stump  to  the  first  limb. 

The  Gordon  creek  and  also  the  B  B  creek  were  very  rich 
in  alluvial  gold,  and  many  a  heart-sick  and  care-worn 
digger,  who  had  nearly  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  making  a 
rise  in  the  world,  got  a  good  start  there,  which  enabled  him 
to  purchase  a  farm  and  settle  down  for  the  remainder  of 
his  days  in  peace  and  quietness  in  his  adopted  country. 
Further  on  up  Crooked  river  there  came  news  of  large 
discoveries.  A  prospecting  party  had  been  sent  out  by 
the  government,  which  found  Pioneer  reef  which  promised 
to  surpass  all  others  in  richness  and  brought  thousands  to 
the  Crooked,  myself  among  them.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
excited  rushes  that  had  ever  been  in  the  country.  Thou- 
sands of  capitalists  came  from  Melbourne,  Sydney  and  from 
all  the  islands  of  Australasia  to  invest, in  hopes  to  make  their 
thousands  by  laying  out  their  hundreds.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  that  many  of  them  dropped  their 
hundreds  but  never  picked  up  their  thousands.  I  remained 
here  upon  the  Crooked,  Dargo  and  Omao  diggings  for 
nearly^a  year,  speculating  in  claims,  buying  and  selling, 


420 

and  keeping  prospectors  out  searching  for  fresh  reefs. 
Sometimes  this  paid  well — other  times  a  dead  failure, 
according  to  the  men  I  happened  to  select.  I  have  made 
as  much  as  four  hundred  pounds  in  one  week — that  is, 
speaking  of  what  one  makes,  like  a  gambler,  but  not  say- 
ing a  word  about  losses. 

After  leaving  the  Crooked  and  that  district  I  went 
to  Boggy  creek,  some  eighty  miles  distant,  and  near  the 
Gipps'  Land  lakes.  Here,  with  some  others,  I  opened  a 
reef  and  christened  it  "Sons  of  Freedom."  We  had  great 
expectations,  but  were  doomed  to  disappointment  after 
erecting  machinery — not  that  the  reef  was  worthless,  but 
the  shareholders,  or  most  of  them,  were  inexperienced  and 
wanted  to  make  a  fortune  quick,  and,  like  many  who  have 
entered  a  new  enterprise,  soon  came  to  think  they  knew 
more  how  to  manage  it  than  those  who  had  been  in  like 
business  for  years.  By  having  a  few  such  people  in  a  com- 
pany it  is  sure  to  fail,  as  the  Sons  of  Freedom  did.  I  can 
give  no  better  proof  of  my  assertion  than  to  say  that  the 
same  reef  is  now  working  under  the  same  name,  reorgan- 
ized by  other  parties,  and  is  paying  good  dividends. 

This  in  a  great  measure  closed  my  mining  career.  I  had 
invested  money  in  only  a  few,  and  that  rather  in  a  small 
way,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  at  this  late  day  I  shall 
never  be  a  partner  in  another  such  enterprise,  though  I 
would  not  like  to  make  any  positive  promise,  for  gold  min- 
ing affects  the  mind  like  gambling— one  commences,  but 
never  knows  when  heis  going  to  quit.  There  is  something 
so  infatuating  about  it,  one  finds  it  almost  impossible  to 
quit.    I  would  almost  as  soon  hear  of  a  friend  of  mine  be- 


ADVICE— STICK  TO  THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD.  421 

coming  a  confirmed  gambler  as  a  confirmed  gold  mining 
speculator,  for  there  is  no  knowing  where  it  will  end.  Per- 
haps one  in  a  hundred  will  make  a  hit,  but  not  more.  So 
far  as  chances  are  concerned  for  " miners'  luck,"  I  would 
as  soon  invest  in  the  Louisiana  lottery  as  in  gold  mining. 
I  think  the  chances  about  equal,  not  that  I  would  advise 
anyone  to  invest  in  a  lottery,  for  that  is  a  species  of 
gambling,  and  gold  prospecting  and  mining  are  akin  to  it, 
your  chances  being  one  to  one  hundred  against  you.  No, 
young  man,  I  would  advise  you  to  stick  to  your  farm  or 
your  trade,  stand  by  the  old  homestead  where  you  were 
born,  or  make  a  new  one  for  yourself  and  wife  in  your  own 
country  of  freedom  and  personal  independence,  remember- 
ing the  old  saying  that  "A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss." 
Yet  you  will  doubtless  offset  the  above  maxim  by  another 
that  is  as  old  as  the  pyramids — "  A  setting  hen  gathers  no 
fat."  Therefore,  upon  due  consideration,  I  do  not  know 
what  is  best  for  my  young  friends  individually,  and  will 
leave  each  to  be  governed  by  the  promptings  of  his  nature, 
modified  by  the  controlling  power  of  a  thoughtful  mind. 
Follow  your  own  inclination  as  I  did,  for  that  you  will  be 
sure  to  do,  as  I  did,  and  so  will  every  boy.  If  he  is  inclined 
to  be  a  lawyer,  there  is  no  use  in  trying  to  make  a  clergy- 
man of  him ;  so  of  one  who  is  bound  to  travel,  you  cannot 
keep  him  at  home. 

In  attempting  to  give  in  my  own  way  a  slight  idea  of  the 
different  colonies  of  Australia,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  it  is  altogether  from  memory,  having  never  kept  a 
diary;  but  whatever  of  discrepancy  or  errors  maybe  found 
will  relate  to  dates,  or  possibly  the  misspelling  of  wild, 


422     BOTANY  BAY— SCENERY  AND  SETTLEMENT. 

strange  and  queer  names  of  persons — native  people — and 
of  places  that  in  my  time  in  the  country  had  no  fixed  name, 
and  even  now  have  no  place  on  any  map.  New  South 
Wales,  the  first  English  colony,  of  which  Sydney  is  the  cap- 
ital, was  founded  in  1788,  just  one  hundred  years  ago. 
The  famous  Botany  bay  is  on  the  eastern  coast,  being  the 
first  port  entered.  Afterwards  Port  Jackson  was  found  to 
be  a  safer  harbor,  and  England  sent  her  convicts  there  for 
the  purpose  of  colonization.  The  port  is  only  seven  miles 
north  of  the  old  Botany  landing,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  harbors  in  the  world  for  its  scenery  from  the 
ships  as  they  enter,  and  for  safety  when  enclosed  there. 
The  heads  which  sweep  around  and  enclose  the  bay  are 
only  seven  miles  from  the  city,  Sy  dne}^,  being  two  bold  prom- 
ontories, standing  out  in  relief  against  the  rising  sun,  and 
between  which  is  a  glimpse  of  the  great  ocean  beyond. 

The  country  around  the  city  was  soon  occupied  by 
squatters,  as  the  con vict  immigrants  were  called,  many  tak- 
ing up  large  tracts  of  territory,  some  going  far  into  the  in- 
terior and  engaging  in  sheep  farming  on  a  large  scale,  some 
of  them  soon  becoming  the  owners  of  flocks  of  from  thirty 
thousand  to  one  hundred  thousand  sheep.  Such  surprising 
flocks  almost  demonstrate  the  truth  related  of  the  Spanish 
ambassador  and  the  prime  minister  of  the  king  of  Persia. 
The  ambassador  boasted  to  the  minister  that  the  wealth 
of  his  master,  the  king  of  Spain,  was  so  vast  tfrat  he  had 
a  flock  of  three  thousand  sheep.  The  oriental  replied 
that  his  master  had  three  thousand  shepherds. 

For  help,  the  squatters  had  only  to  apply  to  the 
government  and  get  prisoners  consigned  to  them  for  the 


"government  men"— "squatters."  423 

bare  consideration  of  their  food  and  clothing.  If  a  pris- 
oner got  a  good  report  of  his  conduct,  he,  after  serving 
half  his  time,  had  what  is  called  a  ticket  of  leave  given 
him,  which  almost  made  him  free ;  he  had  only  to  report 
himself  to  the  nearest  police  station  once  a  quarter,  or  if 
he  wished  to  leave  that  portion  of  the  district  to  which  he 
had  been  previously  consigned,  he  had  to  get  a  permit — 
otherwise  his  time  was  his  own  and  all  he  earned.  If  he 
was  unruly  and  his  master  disliked  him,  he  was  reported 
and  another  obtained  in  his  place.  Many  of  the  prisoners 
were  sent  out  as  much  for  the  purpose  of  settling  and 
populating  the  country,  as  for  the  actual  offense  the}'  had 
committed.  So  taking  the  Sydney  or  Botany  Bay  convicts, 
or  "Sages," as  they  called  themselves,  they  were  not,  as  a 
general  rule,  so  hard  a  lot  as  one  would  naturally  expect 
to  find  in  a  country  largely  peopled  by  convicts.  Many 
were  really  first-class  men— political  prisoners  merely.     • 

When  I  arrived  in  the  colonies  I  found  many  of  the 
wealthiest  squatters,  owners  of  vast  domains,  station  men 
in  the  interior,  transported  for  their  country's  good,  or 
rather  for  the  good  of  rival  politicians  in  England.  One  of 
the  richest  merchants  of  Sydney,  and  most  of  the  squatters 
on  Hunter  river,  were '  'government  men' '  originally.  There 
were  others,  of  course,  that  were  nothing  and  never  would 
be  in  any  country  on  the  globe,  no  matter  what  opportu- 
nities for  a  useful  life  might  be  given  them.  The  ambition 
of  such  never  rose  higher  than  shepherding,  or  sheep- 
shearing,  which  latter,  by  the  wa}r,  was  a  very  paying  busi- 
ness in  its  season. 

For  some  twenty  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  Syd- 


424  TASMANIA— ITS  TIMBER. 

ney  no  other  colony  was  organized.  Then  Van  Diemen's* 
Land,  now  called  Tasmania,  was  established  as  a  penal 
colony.  This  island,  lying  south  of  the  Australian  conti- 
nent about  one  hundred  miles  distant  from  it,  received 
quite  a  different  grade  of  prisoners  from  those  early  sent 
to  Botany  Bay  or  Sydney,  most  of  them  being  of  the  des- 
perate class.  The  island  is  pretty  respectable  in  size,  being 
abouttwo  hundred  miles  square,  and  which  is  very  nearly 
its  shape.  Hobart  is  the  oldest  town.  Launceston  has 
become  its  rival  of  late.  The  island  has  had  several  little 
gold  excitements,  but  they  never  amounted  to  much.  It 
is  very  productive  in  wheat,  and,  in  fact,  all  kinds  of  grain.. 
At  the  first  gold  rush  in  Victoria  they  depended  almost 
entirely  upon  Tasmania  for  produce,  for  there  were  no 
vegetables  raised  either  in  Victoria  or  New  South  Wales, 
consequently  the  market  had  to  be  supplied  from  Hobart, 
or  Adelaide  in  South  Australia.  The  southern  part  of  Tas- 
mania is  heavily  timbered  with  the  eucalyptus,  commonly 
called  the  blue  gum .  They  grow  upon  the  E win  river  to  an 
almost  incredible  height  and  size.  A  peculiarity  in  the 
growth  of  these  trees  is  that  they  are  all  hollow  at  the 
butt  up  some  thirty  feet,  then  perfectly  sound  for  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  lumber- 
men, or  splitters,  as  they  are  called,  erect  a  scaffold  and 
cut  the  tree  above  the  hollow.  It  is  a  very  free,  straight- 
grained  timber,  admirable  for  splitting  into  paling — a  sort 
of  clapboard  used  in  house-building.  I  have  seen  trees 
that  cut  into  twenty-four  logs  of  six  feet  in  length  split 
into  paling.  These  trees  are  often  six  feet  in  diameter  at 
the  solid  part  of  the  trunk  thirty  feet  from  the  ground. 


POLITICAL  PRISONERS.  425 

Tasmania  has  one  of  the  finest  macadamized  roads  in 
the  world  between  Hobart  and  Launceston,  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  It  was  constructed  by 
prison  labor,  and  as  flogging  was  then  allowed,  it  was 
said  by  the  prisoners  that  there  was  a  lash  to  every  stone 
laid  in  the  road.  How  true  that  is  I  cannot  say,  but  I 
have  seen  the  backs  of  many  prisoners  that  bore  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  the  back  of  a  crocodile  from  the  blows 
of  the  flagellant.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  prisoners 
were  badly  and  harshly  treated,  but  human  sympathy  is 
lost  when  it  is  considered  that  most  of  them  were  of  the 
most  debased  and  cruel  specimens  of  the  human  form, 
and  would  take  a  man's  life  for  a  plug  of  tobacco,  and 
had  done  it  many  times.  Many  of  the  worst  make  their 
escape,  get  out  into  the  bush  and  become  outlaws.  Many 
are  the  blood-curdling  accounts  related  of  those  desper- 
adoes. One  of  the  most  notorious  was  Jack  Donohough. 
I  have  often  been  amused  in  listening  to  some  of  the 
"old  hands"  singing,  with  tears  streaming  down  their 
cheeks,  the  trials  and  troubles  of  the  "Bold  Jack  Dona- 
hough.'  ' 

It  was  from  this  island  that  Thomas  Francis  Maher 
made  his  escape  in  1852,  followed  by  John  Mitchel  the 
next  year.  It  was  a  subject  of  pretty  lively  and  interest- 
ing conversation  for  a  season,  but  I  doubt  if  there  was 
a  man,  woman  or  child  in  Tasmania  that  did  not  rejoice 
at  their  escape.  At  an  earlier  time  it  was  found  necessary 
to  remove  some  of  the  worst  criminals  to  another  island — 
Norfolk — of  which  I  have  before  given  an  account.  In 
1853  they  were  removed  back  to  make  room  for  the  Pit- 


426  SOUTH  AND  WEST  COLONIES. 

kin  islanders,  who  had  become  so  numerous  that  it  was 
necessary  to  shift  a  portion  of  them,  for  that  island  is 
small,  only  about  two  miles  square.  In  the  same  year 
the  -free  people  rebelled  against  further  importation  of 
convicts,  and  England  was  compelled  by  force  of  popular 
sentiment  to  abandon  her  penal  system  in  that  regard, 
and  for  thirty-five  years  the  Australian  colonies  have  been 
relieved  of  that  curse. 

Adelaide,  or  South  Australia,  as  it  is  now  called,  was 
settled  later  than  New  South  Wales,   and  never  was  a 
penal  colony.    The  inhabitants  were  largely  German  and 
followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
gold  rush  the  other  colonies  depended  upon  Adelaide  for 
flour.    There  never  has  been  any  important  gold  discov- 
eries in  South  Australia,  but  some  very  rich  copper  mines 
have  been  opened.    The  Bura  Bura  mine  is  rich  in  very 
pure  ore,  the  percentage  being  very  high.    But  copper 
was  cast  into  the  shade  by  the  gold  discoveries  in  the 
neighboring  colonies,  and  was  lost  sight  of  for  a  season. 
In  the  early  days  the  continent  was  divided  into  two 
equal  parts — New  South  Wales  and  Adelaide— but  later 
it  has  been  cut  up  into  five  different  colonies.    Western 
Australia  was  taken  off  from  South,  or  Adelaide,  and  here 
England  exiles  her  political  offenders,  but  no  others.    In 
1850   Victoria  was   carved    out    of  New   South  Wales, 
Melbourne  being  the  capital.    Victoria  was  first  settled 
by  the  Honorable  John  Faulkner,  who  came  from  Hobart, 
Tasmania,   in  1836,  some  fifteen  years  before  the  gold 
discove^.      He    brought  with    him    a   large  party  and 
located  where  now  is  Melbourne.    Another  party,  about 


BUCKLEY,   THE  WILD  WHITE  MAN.  427 

the  same  time,  lead  by  one  Brady,  settled  at  Geelong,  a 
few  miles  distant,  where  there  is  a  hill  named  after  him 
three  miles  out  of  town.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  one  of 
these  parties,  I  do  not  know  which,  while  out  one  day  they 
saw  some  of  the  black  natives,  and  one  among  them  they 
took  to  be  a  white  man,  who  seemed  to  be  equally  as  wild 
as  the  blacks,  and  nothing  would  induce  either  to  come 
near,  but  stood  off  and  gazed  with  both  curiosity  and 
fear.  If  the  party  approached  them  they  would  retire,  the 
white  man  with  the  rest,  to  a  safe  distance.  The  next 
day  they  came  around  the  same  as  before,  and  a  party 
of  horsemen  ran  them  down  and  brought  the  white  man 
into  camp.  In  1804  a  penal  ship  landed  in  Port  Phillip 
bay  and  made  a  commencement  towards  starting  a  penal 
colony  near  Geelong.  They  used  to  take  the  prisoners 
ashore  during  the  day  to  work,  taking  them  back  to  the 
ship  at  night.  One  day  three  prisoners  managed  to 
escape.  Their  plan  was  to  keep  up  the  coast  and  make 
Sydney  about  seven  hundred  miles  distant.  They  traveled 
for  some  days,  living  on  opossums,  when  one  of  them  re- 
pented and  made  up  his  mind  to  return.  The  other  two 
would  not  return  with  him,  and  that  was  the  last  ever 
known  of  them.  The  third  man,  who  sought  to  return 
to  the  ship,  but  never  saw  it  again,  was  the  man  captured 
among  the  natives.  His  name  was  Buckley,  and  he  told 
the  following  story : 

"  When  I  got  back  to  the  camp,  no  one  can  imagine  my 
feelings  on  finding  that  the  camp  was  struck  and  the  ship 
had  left  the  bay,  the  officer  having  changed  his  plan  and 
sailed  to  Hobart,  in  Tasmania,  and  started  the  colony  there. 


428 

Then  I  went  back  and  tried  to  find  my  other  mates,  but 
never  found  them  or  heard  or  saw  any  signs  of  them  after- 
wards. I  wandered  around  for  many  days  and  weeks,  but 
never  fell  in  with  anyone,  there  being  at  that  time  of  the 
year  no  blacks  or  natives  camping  in  the  part  of  the  country 
I  was  in.  After  I  had  wandered  around  until  I  was  nearly 
dead,  I  came  one  day  upon  a  fresh  mound,  which  proved 
to  be  a  grave.  The  blacks  have  a  custom  of  burying  all 
the  implements  of  war  belonging  to  the  deceased 'in  his 
grave,  except  his  spear,  which  they  leave  sticking  up  in  the 
mound.  Seeing  the  spear,  I  pulled  it  out  and  used  it  for  a 
staff  to  help  me  in  walking,  for  I  was  footsore  and  nearly 
exhausted  from  starvation  and  fatigue.  I  had  not  gone 
far  before  I  came  upon  a  camp  of  blacks.  It  was  the 
family  of  the  dead  chief.  Upon  seeing  me  and  the  spear 
they  had  left  sticking  in  the  grave,  they  at  once  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  I  was  their  dead  chief,  and  had  come 
forth  a  white  man.  They  received  me  with  all  the  mani- 
festations of  friendship,  as  though  I  was  indeed  the  old 
chief  himself."  [The  blacks  have  a  superstition  which 
many  think  was  derived  from  the  circumstance  of  Buckley's 
coming  amongthem  in  the  way  he  did,  believing  that  when 
a  black  man  tumbles  down  dead,  he  is  resurrected  a  white 
man.]  He  remained  with  them  thirty-two  years  before 
the  whites  captured  him,  and  when  first  caught  he  had 
forgotten  all  his  English.  Upon  showing  him  bread,  he 
took  it  in  his  hand, looked  atit  for  a  longtime  and  handed 
it  back,  seeming  to  think  and  ponder,  and  said,  "Bread." 
This  was  the  only  word  he  could  remember,  but  he  soon 
picked  up  the  language  again.    He  lived  for  many  years 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COLONIES.  429 

^afterwards.  The  government  gave  him  his  pardon  and  a 
small  pension.  I  remember  seeing  him  soon  after  my  ar- 
rival in  the  colony.    He  died  some  time  in  the  sixties. 

There  was  said  to  be  another  similar  case  of  a  sailor, 
shipwrecked  and  cast  ashore  on  the  northern  coast  of 
Queen's  island,  who  claimed  to  have  been  among  the 
blacks  seventeen  years.  He  related  that  the  captain,  his 
wife,  himself  and  three  others  were  the  only  ones  saved  out 
of  the  whole  ship's  crew;  that  they  lived  among  the  blacks, 
who  kept  watch  over  them  for  fear  of  their  escaping;  that 
they  all  died  off  one  by  one,  until  he  alone  was  left.  He 
said  the  captain's  wife  was  the  last  that  died  before  his 
rescue.  Those  who  have  seen  the  party,  regard  his  story 
with  the  same  confidence  as  the  well-authenticated  and 
truthful  relation  of  the  case  of  Buckley. 

Victoria  was  not  long  in  settling  up  after  the  wealthy 
Tasmanians  began  to  come  over.  They  leased  large  runs 
or  ranges  and  stocked  them  with  sheep  and  cattle,  so  that 
sixteen  years  afterwards,  when  the  gold  fields  were  opened, 
the  colony  was  well  prepared  for  a  rush,  at  least  in 
supplying  the  influx  of  population  with  beef  and  mutton. 
Adelaide,  or  South  Australia,  however,  came  in  for  her 
share  of  the  profits  with  her  flour,  and  Tasmania  got  her 
portion  with  her  excellent  vegetables.  About  1860  Queens- 
land separated  from  New  South  Wales,  making  Brisbane 
its  capital,  which,  with  Rockhampton,  are  its  principal 
cities.  This  colony  is  situated  in  the  northeast  portion  of 
the  continent,  and  embraces  more  territory  than  New 
South  Wales  and  Victoria  combined.  It  is  principally  a 
cattle  country,  having  some  of  the  largest  ranges  on  the 


430  EMU — KANGAROO— BOTTLE  TREE. 

continent.  Some  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  growing 
of  sugar-cane,  but  to  what  extent  and  with  what  success, 
as  an  industry,  I  am  unable  to  state.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  mining  carried  on  along  the  coast  range  of  mountains, 
both  in  gold  and  other  metals.  One  of  the  richest  quartz 
reefs  in  the  world,  the  Mt.  Morgan  mine,  is  in  Queens- 
land, where  two  of  my  most  intimate  friends  have  made 
a  goodly  fortune  within  the  last  five  years.  Western  Aus- 
tralia separated  from  Adelaide  or  South  Australia  about 
1868,  Perth  being  its  capital.  This  is  likewise  an  immense 
sheep  country,  and  it  is  but  in  the  natural  course  of  the 
history  of  social  institutions  that  a  few  hundred  years  hence 
the  blue-blood  aristocrat  of  Australia,  the  duke  and  the 
dude,  the  count  and  the  no-account  will  claim  descent,  not 
from  Saxon  kings  or  Norman  conquerors,  but  from  the 
shepherd  kings  of  the  ocean  continent.  There  are  some 
political  exiles  here,  and  some  ten  years  ago  there  was 
quite  an  excitement  about  an  American  vessel  taking  off 
two  of  these  prisoners.  The  government  officials  pre- 
tended to  make  considerable  stir  about  it,  but  it  was 
believed  to  be  all  for  appearance'  sake,  as  there  was  not, 
in  my  opinion,  one  person  in  the  colony  that  was  not 
glad  they  got  away.  These  are  all  the  present  divisions 
or  colonies  of  Australia.  The  out-lying  islands,  especially 
New  Zealand  and  Tasmania,  are  separate  colonies.  Touch- 
ing the  flora  and  the  fauna  of  the  country,  I  have  mostly 
alluded  to  the  timber  trees  and  forests.  Of  animals,  the 
kangaroo  is  the  leading  animal,  being  the  largest.  The 
emu  is  the  monster  bird,  akin  to  the  ostrich.  The  most 
curiously  formed  tree  is  the  "  Bottle  Tree,"  represented  in 


431 


432  ABORIGINES  DYING  OFF. 

the  cut.  New  Zealand  has  no  four-footed  animals  native 
to  the  island.  Like  the  chapter  on  snakes  in  the  facetious 
history  of  Ireland  which  ran  thus— "  chapter  x.  Snakes 
— Ireland  has  no  Snakes  "—so  the  island  is  destitute  of  the 
quadruped,  except  the  pig,  introduced  by  Captain  Cook, 
now  just  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  which  has  multiplied 
into  herds  and  "mobs"  of  thousands. 

The  aborigines,  or  black  fellows,  as  they  are  called,  are  sim- 
ilar in  all  the  provinces  and  outward  islands  of  Australia. 
When  the  country  was  first  colonized  they  were  very 
numerous  in  all  parts,  but  never  in  any  country  have  the 
native  blacks  diminished  by  their  contact  with  civilization 
as  in  Australia.  In  Tasmania  they  are  totally  extinct ;  the 
last  one  died  some  ten  years  ago.  The  many  tribes 
throughout  the  other  colonies  are  fast  dying  off.  Some 
that  I  knew  thirty-five  years  ago,  then  numbering  hun- 
dreds, are  now  almost  extinct.  Much  of  this  mortality  is 
owing  to  their  indolent  habits  and  neglect  in  raising  their 
young.  I  would  class  them  as  being  of  the  lowest  grade 
of  humanity — low  in  stature,  small  limbs,  very  black  eyes 
sunk  deep  in  the  head,  low  forehead,  nose  flat  and  spread 
widely  over  the  face,  coarse  lips,  and  their  skull  is  said  to 
be  more  than  twice  as  thick  as  a  white  man's.  About  the 
only  art  they  excel  in  is  the  use  of  the  boomerang.  It  is 
crescent  shaped,  or  more,  perhaps,  like  the  felloes  to  a 
wagon  wheel.  It  is  about  two  feet,  eight  inches  in  length, 
two  and  three-fourth  inches  in  width,  and  about  one- 
third  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  Both  the  inside  and  outside 
are  brought  down  to  a  fine  edge,  something  like  the  old. 
fashioned  wooden  knife  that  dairymen  used  years  ago  for 


THE  BOOMERANG— SHIELD  AND  SPEAR.  433 

cutting  up  curd  in  the  cheese  tub.    Now  for  the  skill  in 
throwing  them.    I  have  seen  a  black  fellow  take  one  in  one 
hand  and  throw  it.    It  would  revolve  along  the  ground 
for  a  distance  of  two  hundred  feet  or  more,  then  sud- 
denly rise  up  in  the  air  about  the  same  number  of  feet,  and 
then  return,  increasing  in  its  velocity  as  it  came  back  until 
one  could  see  only  a  blur  in  the  air,  and  fall  at  the  feet  of 
the  thrower.  At  another  time  he  would  throw  it  in  the  air 
and  it  would  return  to  him  in  the  same  manner.    They  are 
used  more  for  killing  game,  such  as  opossums,  ducks  and 
kangaroos,  than  as  an  implement  of  warfare.    Their  use 
is  confined  to  the  black  alone,  as  I  never  saw  a  white  who 
could  use  one  with  any  accuracy ;  he  could  throw  one  but 
could  never  tell  where  it  would  land  or  when  it  would 
return.    Their  implements  of  war  are  very  simple.    They 
consist  of  two  clubs,  one  called  the  Wadda-Wadda,  the 
other  Nella-Nella,  a  spear  and  a  shield.  The  spear  is  about 
seven  feet  long  and  about  one  inch  thick,  made  of  the 
hardest   and   toughest   wood   that  can   be  found.    The 
Wadda-Wadda  is  about  two  feet  long  with  a  knot  upon 
each  end  cut  in  grooves.  The  Nella-Nella  is  much  the  same. 
They  are  used  in  a  hand  to  hand  fight,  the  combatants 
standing  close  together  and  warding  off  the  blows  with 
the  shield  which  they  hold  with  one  hand  while  they  "lay 
on,  McDuff  "  with  the  other.  The  shield  is  about  three  feet 
long,  with  a  hand  holder  cut  in  the  middle,  where  it  is 
about  five  inches  wide,  tapering  down  at  each  end.    The 
surface  towards  the  enemy  is  checked  with  fine  notches  so 
that  it  will  shiver  to  pieces  the  spear  that  strikes  it  instead 
of  glancing  off.    An  expert  black  will  stand  off  at  a  dis- 


434?  EXPERTS— TRACKERS— LOST  CHILDREN. 

tance  of  twenty  feet  and  allow  two  men  to  throw  stones 
at  him  of  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg  as  fast  as  they  like  for  a 
sixpence,  he  warding  them  off  with  a  shield.  Another  gift 
in  which  they  excel  is  that  of  a  tracker.  They  will  take  a 
track  several  days  old  and  follow  it  tip  without  the 
slightest  difficulty,  where,  to  all  appearance  to  a  white  man, 
there  is-  not  a  sign  of  a  footstep  of  man  or  animal.  They 
are  often  employed  to  track  criminals.  In  one  instance  the 
government  sent  for  the  Queensland  blacks  to  come  to 
Victoria  to  track  the  notorious  Kelley  Brothers'  gang, 
a  party  of  desperadoes  which  had  harassed  the  govern- 
ment for  nearly  two  years,  to  its  cost  of  some  sixty  thou- 
sand pounds. 

Another  instance  of  their  wonderful  tracking  instincts 
which  has  been  handed  down  in  the  legends  of  the  country 
from  the  last  century,  is  that  of  the  "Three  Lost  Children," 
whose  names  were  Duff.  Their  father  was  employed  on 
a  station  as  shepherd,  the  mother  acting  as  a  hut  keeper. 
The  oldest  of  the  three  was  a  little  girl  of  seven  years,  the 
second,  five,  and  the  youngest  a  little  boy  of  three  years. 
One  day  the  mother  sent  them  out  to  cut  some  scrub- 
broom,  a  bush  growing  there  used  to  make  brooms.  She 
sent  them  as  much  perhaps  to  amuse  them  or  get  them 
out  of  the  wray  for  awhile  as  for  the  broom,  as  she  did 
not  miss  them  till  evening.  As  they  did  not  then  return 
the  father  and  mother  both  started  to  search  for  them, 
and  spent  the  night  looking  in  vain.  In  the  morning  the 
alarm  was  given  at  the  station  and  all  the  hands  em- 
ployed turned  out  and  searched  that  day  with  no  success. 
The  next  day  word  was  sent  around  for  twenty  miles 


LOST  CHILDREN  FOUND.  435 

but  with  no  better  result,  until  the  whole  country  was 
out  for  fifty  miles  around.  Upon  the  seventh  day  the 
black  trackers  came  and  at  once  took  the  track  and  fol- 
lowed it  up  without  any  difficulty,  telling  what  the 
children  did  here  and  there,  where  the  oldest  carried  the 
little  one,  where  she  again  set  him  down  and  where  they 
slept.  They  followed  the  tracks  all  that  day  and  until 
about  three  o'clock  the  second  day,  when  they  came  upon 
the  poor  little  things  all  cuddled  up  together.  The  young- 
est looked  up  so  pitifully,  and  said,  "Papa,  bread,"  and 
sank  back  in  a  stupor.  The  oldest  one  had  taken  off  her 
dress  to  wrap  around  the  youngest  to  keep  him  warm,  as 
she  had  done  every  night  they  had  been  out.  The  party 
had  with  them  wine  and  food,  in  case  thev  were  found 
alive,  and  which  was  given  them  sparingly,  when  they 
were  taken  to  the  nearest  hut  until  they  had  sufficiently 
recovered  to  be  taken  home.  The  little  girl  related  that 
after  cutting  the  broom  and  playing  for  a  while  they 
started  for  what  they  supposed  to  be  home,  and  traveled 
for  a  long  while  before  they  found  they  were  going  wrong. 
Then  they  undertook  to  retrace  their  steps,  but  darkness 
overtook  them  and  they  were  obliged  to  camp.  It  was 
in  the  winter  season  and  the  night  was  cold.  The  little  one 
cried,  and  the  brave,  considerate  and  self-sacrificing  little 
girl  took  off  her  own  dress  to  wrap  her  little  brother  in. 
They  had  thrown  away  the  scrub.  On  th£  third  day 
they  came  upon  a  place  where  they  thought  they 
cut  the  scrub  and  felt  sure  they  were  close  home, 
and  toiled  on  and  on  for  five  days  more,  when, 
as  the  little  girl  said,  they  said  their  prayers  and  lay 


436  GENEROUS  SUBSCRIPTION. 

down  expecting  to  die  there,  when  relief  came  at  the  last 
moment.  The  heroism  of  the  little  girl  was  sounded  all 
through  the  colonies.  A  subscription  was  put  in  circu- 
lation and  almost  all  the  school  children  of  the  colonies 
contributed  their  mite,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities 
and  town  swelled  the  fund  to  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  which  was  placed  in  trust  for  the  Duff  children, 
one-half  to  the  little  girl  for  her  kindness  to  her  little 
brother,  and  one  quarter  each  to  the  other  two.  It  seems 
almost  incredible,  but  it  is  well  authenticated  that  those 
little  children  trudged  and  toddled  through  that  lonely 
wilderness  in  the  seven  days,  here  and  there,  back  and 
forth,  over  seventy  miles.  The  Australian  school  books 
contain  the  story  of  the  Duff  children.  The  black  trackers 
were  well  rewarded  for  their  services.  One  thing  more 
they  excel  in,  and  that  is  in  climbing.  One  will  take  a 
small  hatchet  in  his  hand  and  merely  make  an  incision 
in  the  bark  of  a  tree  just  large  enough  to  put  in  the  end 
of  his  great  toe,  then  change  the  hatchet  to  the  other 
hand  and  cut  another,  and  so  on  up  until  he  reaches  the 
top  of  the  largest  and  tallest  tree  in  the  forest  in  a  very 
short  time.  They  are  often  hired  for  a  small  sum  to  climb 
a  tree  and  cut  off  the  limbs,  and  will  go  up  the  distance 
of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  chop  for  an  hour  and  then 
come  down  and  have  a  resting  spell,  and  then  go  back  to 
work,  so  little  do  they  think  of  the  ascent  and  descent, 
The  blacks  as  a  general  rule  have  a  lively  dread  of  the 
law,  which,  doubtless,  keeps  them  from  stealing  and  other 
wrongful  acquisitions  of  property  through  "cornering" 
the  market,  taking  illegal  interest   or  obtaining  goods 


437 

under  false  pretenses — that  is  to  say,  like  many  white, 
civilized,  miserly  sharks,  they  are  legally  honest. 

The  birds  of  the  Australian  colonies  are  numerous. 
Some  are  gay  and  handsome  in  plumage,  and  nearly  all 
families  are  social  and  lively.  There  is  the  white  and  black 
cockatoo.  The  former  is  the  more  numerous.  These  birds 
when  young,  can  very  easily  be  taught  to  talk,  or  at  least 
speak  quite  plainly  a  great  many  words.  They  go  in  flocks 
of  thousands,  and  will  drop  down  in  a  field  of  corn  or 
wheat,  and  if  not  driven  out  will  destroy  acres  in  a  few 
hours.  There  are  several  kinds  of  parrots,  the  blue  mount- 
ain, the  king  and  the  Roselin,  all  of  which  can  be  taught 
to  whistle  or  talk.  The  magpie  is  also  a  talking  bird. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  kingfishers.  One  has  been  knighted 
as  the  laughing  jackal,  both  talking  and  singing  birds. 
There  is  also  a  bird  of  the  kingfisher  species,  but  much 
larger,  and  there  is  a  law  prohibiting  their  destruction, 
owing  to  their  warlike  propensities  against  snakes.  Some 
twenty  or  more  will  gather  around  his  snakeship,  and  all 
will  insult  him  by  setting  up  a  most  boisterous  and  hideous 
laugh.  The  snake  soon  becomes  confused,  feels  humiliated 
and  would  gladly  retire,  when,  of  a  sudden,  one  will  seize 
the  snake  in  his  beak  and  rise  on  the  wing,  until  the  snake 
gathers  his  batteries,  when  he  will  be  dropped  in  the  midst 
of  his  laughing  enemies  on  the  ground.  But  he  no  sooner 
strikes  the  earth  than  another  bird  u  takes  up  the  won- 
drous tail,"  and  the  entertainment  is  repeated  until  it  ends 
in  the  death  of  the  snake,  and  the  "slime  of  the  serpent  is 
over  them  all."  The  laughter  and  scolding  is  kept  up  by 
the  birds  till  death  is  manifest,  when  they  retire  upon  their 


438  KANGAROO    HUNTS. 

honors.  There  is  also  a  pheasant,  called  the  lyre-bird,  very 
shy,  cannot  be  tamed  it  is  said.  But  they  imitate  all  the 
birds  of  the  forest,  and  even  the  native  dog,  or  dingo,  as 
it  is  called  ;  also  the  cracking  of  a  whip,  and  the  lowing  of 
cattle.  There  are  also  many  kinds  of  wild  ducks,  and  the 
lakes  and  lagoons  throughout  the  continent  abound  in  black 
swan,  and  many  species  of  pigeons,  which  comprise  nearly 
all  except  the  emu,  which  is  the  Australian  ostrich. 

There  probably  is  not  another  country  in  the  world  so 
destitute  of  a  variety  of  native  animals  as  Australia,  the 
kangaroo  being  the  largest  and  most  numerous.  I  have 
seen  them  like  great  flocks  of  sheep.  That  was  some 
twenty  years  ago ;  since  then  almost  every  means  has  been 
resorted  to  for  their  destruction.  People  would  turn  out 
for  miles  around,  form  a  circuit,  drive  them  into  a  large 
yard  and  destroy  them  all,  only  securing  their  hides,  which 
make  excellent  shoes  for  women.  They  are  of  a  timid  or 
sheep-like  nature,  very  fleet  of  foot,  requiring  the  fleetest 
dogs  to  catch  them,  especially  if  the  ground  is  a  little  de- 
scending. They  never  show  fight  except  after  they  have 
been  run  down,  when  they  will  turn  upon  the  dog,  and  if 
he  is  not  an  old  hand  at  the  business  he  will  get  the  worst 
of  it.  There  are  not  many  dogs  able  to  catch  and  kill  one 
by  himself.  There  is  a  class  of  dogs  called  "catchers  and 
killers,"  the  fleetest  of  which  will  run  the  animal  down, 
stick  him  up,  and  then  play  around  him  until  the  stronger 
and  less  fleet  dogs  come  up,  and  when  the  animal's  atten- 
tion is  on  one,  another  will  slip  up  and  seize  him  by  the 
neck  and  pull  him  over,  another  will  seize  him  by  the  leg, 


THE    KANGAROO    TRICK.  439 

while  still  another  strangles  him.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  a  dog  to  get  torn  to  pieces,  for  they  have  two 
large  claws  on  each  hind  leg  that  will  rip  a  dog  open. 
When  they  run  they  stand  upright  on  their  hind  legs,  their 
fore  feet  never  touching  the  ground,  only  their  hind  feet 
and  tail,  from  which  they  spring.  When  one  is  hard  pressed, 
if  there  is  a  water-hole  near  by  they  will  make  for  that,  and 
as  the  dog  comes  up  they  will  suddenly  turn  and  seize  him 
with  their  flappers,  or  fore  paws,  jump  into  the  water  with 
him,  and  hold  him  under  and  drown  him.  Some  dogs  are 
too  smart  for  that  trick,  but  another  less  experienced  will 
rush  up,  only  too  soon  to  find  himself  a  dead  dog.  The 
hair  of  the  kangaroo  is  coarse  and  short  and  of  a  bluish 
gray. 

I  remember  once  sitting  upon  the  bank  of  a  stream 
about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  water,  when  presently 
down  came  a  kangaroo  with  a  dog  close  upon  him,  and 
suddenly  turned  upon  his  pursuer,  but  the  dog  dodged 
around,  unable  to  get  hold.  Off  some  distance  on  the  other 
side  of  the  water  and  upon  the  same  side  of  the  kangaroo, 
there  was  a  man  named  Carey,  one  of  the  curious  and 
prying  sort  of  men  and  a  new-chum,  as  all  new  colonists 
are  called.  He  walked  straight  up  to  where  the  dog  and 
kangaroo  were.  We  sat  and  looked  on,  expecting  to  see 
some  fun,  and  never  thinking  of  any  harm  to  the  man. 
But  as  soon  as  the  kangaroo  saw  him  he  turned  upon  him, 
seized  him  around  the  body  and  both  rolled  into  the  water 
together,  we  looking  on  and  laughing  ready  to  split 
while   the    water   was   foaming   and   splashing.     Pres- 


440  ENGLISH    RABBITS. 

ently  the  water  began  to  get  quiet,  and  it  began  to  dawn 
upon  our  minds  that  possibly  the  kangaroo  was  a 
little  too  muckle  for  the  man,  and  we  started  for  the  res- 
cue and  did  not  get  there  any  too  soon  to  save  him,  for  I 
really  believe  he  would  have  been  dead  in  one  minute 
more.  I  had  a  wadda  with  me,  and  with  that  I  dispatched 
the  kangaroo  with  one  blow  on  the  back  of  the  head,  for 
they  are  very  easily  killed— one  tap  on  the  back  of  the  head 
or  neck  and  they  roll  over.  We  soon  pulled  the  man  out. 
He  was  for  a  time  insensible,  but  came  to  after  a  little 
shaking  up.  His  curiosity  to  interview  a  kangaroo  stuck 
up  by  a  dog  near  a  water-hole  was  satisfied  for  all  time  by 
that  adventure.  Oppossums  are  plenty ;  also  flying  foxes, 
the  native  cat,  the  wombat,  something  like  our  badger 
only  much  larger,  and  the  monkey-bear,  a  harmless  animal 
who  dines  upon  the  gamon  leaf. 

In  1856  one  Mr.  Austin,  a  squatter  upon  the  Geelong 
side,  imported  some  English  rabbits.  He  thought  he  was 
doing  the  colony  a  great  service  to  turn  them  loose  and 
let  them  breed.  The  journals  praised  the  generous  act,  but 
they  soon  found  out  their  mistake,  as  did  Mr.  Austin 
before  he  died,  for  they  spread  so  fast  that  in  less  than  ten 
years  they  became  a  public  nuisance,  both  to  him  and  his 
neighbors.  The  duke  of  Edinburgh  was  invited  out  there 
to  shoot  rabbits,  and  it  was  a  pity  he  did  not  shoot  them 
all,  as  it  would  have  been  the  means  of  saving  the  govern- 
ment fifty  thousand  pounds  a  year  since,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  cost  to  private  persons,  some  of  whom  had  to  keep 
three  or  more  hunters,  at  a  cost  often  dollars  a  week,  who 
had  to  help  destroy  the  rabbits.    The  government  offered 


CHURCHES    AND    SCHOOLS.  441 

large  rewards  for  the  invention  of  some  method  to  exter- 
minate them,  but  never  found  anyone  able  to  discover  a 
specific.  I  think  the  government  of  Victoria  alone  spends 
sixty  thousand  pounds  per  year,  and  still  they  spread,  for 
they  are  now  getting  up  into  Queensland,  more  than  fif- 
teen hundred  miles  from  where  they  were  first  turned 
loose.  The  dingoes,  or  native  dogs,  are  rather  numerous  in 
the  unsettled  parts,  and  are  very  destructive  to  sheep, 
and  often  to  young  calves.  They  are  something  like  the  red 
fox,  only  they  don't  possess  the  cunning  attributed  to  him, 
and  are  sneaking  and  cowardly.  They  are  becoming 
mixed  with  the  domestic  dog  now  and  are  possessed  of 
more  courage,  which  makes  them  bolder  and  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  the  common  dingo.  I  never  heard  of  more 
than  one  or  two  instances  of  their  attacking  any  person, 
and  they  were  not  the  pure  dingo,  but  half-breeds.  They 
are  being  destroyed  by  thousands  by  poison. 

The  religious  and  educational  institutions  of  Australia 
do  not  differ  much  from  those  of  our  own  country.  The 
Roman  Catholic  church  embraces  the  largest  number  of 
communicants  or  members;  the  Wesleyan  ranks  next  in 
membership;  the  Scotch  or  Presbyterian  next;  and  the 
Episcopalian  or  Church  of  England  fourth.  There  are 
some  other  denominations.  There  was,  formerly,  state  aid 
totheextent  of  fifty  thousand  pounds,  apportioned  among 
the  different  denominations.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any 
other  country  where  more  attention  is  paid  to  education 
than  in  the  Australian  colonies.  About  1871  the  state 
took  charge  of  educational  affairs,  making  one  national 
school  and  withdrawing  the  state  aid  to  sectarian  schools, 


442  COLONIAL    PARLIAMENT. 

making  one  school  free  to  all,  on  the  secular  principle, 
and  compulsory  to  all  over  six  and  under  fourteen  years 
of  age,  unless  the  pupil  held  a  certificate  from  the  in- 
spector of  schools  that  he  or  she  had  passed  in  all  branches 
of  common  school  education.  The  beauty  of  colonial 
law  consists  in  the  surety  of  its  being  enforced.  There 
are  no  dead-letter  laws  there. 

Parliament  is  composed  of  the  upper  and  lower  house, 
the  initials  of  which  are  M.  L.  C.  and  M.  L.  A.— Member 
of  the  Legislative  Council  and  Member  of  the  Legislative 
Assembly;  the  first  being  elected  for  three  years,  the 
second  for  ten  years.  As  a  description  of  the  people  and 
social  institutions,  I  can  think  of  no  better  way  than 
for  you  to  imagine  yourself  there,  with  a  people  whose 
manners,  habits  and  customs  are  the  same  as  they  are 
sure  to  be  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken  and 
the  country  populated  from  all  nationalities,  like  the 
United  States.    Such  is  Australia. 

In  1856  Charles  Ganon  Duffey  arrived  in  the  colonies. 
He  had  been  editor  of  the  Irish  Nation — had  been  arrested, 
tried  for  treason  and  was  acquitted,  and  sailed  for 
Australia  where  he  was  received  with  open  arms.  At  that 
time  the  qualification  act  was  in  force,  requiring  a  property 
qualification  of  two  thousand  pounds  for  a  member  of  par- 
liament. The  required  amount  was  raised  and  doubled 
within  forty-eight  hours,  a  seat  was  vacated  in  Delhousie 
and  Duffey  was  returned  a  member — and  a  worthy  one  he 
ever  proved  to  be,  both  for  his  constituents  and  the  colony. 
It  was  his  act  that  unlocked  the  lands  of  Victoria,  and  he 
is  now  called  the  father  of  the  Land  act.    He  represented 


PRODUCTS    AND    COMMERCE.  443 

Delhousie  twenty  years,  when  he  resigned,  and  his  son 
succeeded  him  and  represents  that  district  now.  He  was 
knighted  by  the  Queen  and  was  subsequently  returned  to 
the  house  from  North  Gipps'  Land  and  was  elected 
speaker,  which  office  he  held  until  he  returned  to  En- 
gland, having  been  twice  a  member  of  the  cabinet  and 
three  years  speaker.  Peter  Lalor  succeeded  to  the  speaker- 
ship of  the  Victorian  parliament — the  once  leader  of  the 
Ballarat  riot— the  man  for  whom  the  government  offered 
a  thousand  pounds,  dead  or  alive.  So  one  may  see  that 
the  country  has  undergone  a  great  change  since  my  so- 
journ in  it,  both  in  politics  and  society  in  general.  In  the 
early  days  the  colonies  produced  hides,  tallow  and  wool ; 
now  there  is  not  only  as  much  of  the  same  as  there  ever 
was,  but  to  it  has  been  added  hundreds  of  tons  of  gold, 
and  yearly  there  is  shipped  thousands  of  tons  of  beef. 
Wattle-bark  for  tanning,  which  brings  forty  dollars  a  ton 
in  England,  is  exported  to  the  extent  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sand tons,  a  more  important  item  in  the  commerce  of  a 
country  than  one,  at  first  thought,  would  suppose.  Add 
to  all  this  thousands  of  tons  of  wheat  and  flour,  and  its 
exports  are  already  immense,  and  in  my  opinion  it 
will  eventually  be  next  to  the  United  States  in  produce 
and  commerce.  There  is  no  lack  of  enterprise  in  the  people, 
and  that  is  the  main  thing  in  any  country  to  make  suc- 
cess sure  both  in  person  and  government. 


AAA*  PRIME    MINISTERS. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Mental  Panorama— Memories  of  Eminent  Persons— Statesmen — 
Sportsmen—  Stock  Breeders— Cattle  Kings— Millionaires — 
The  Claimant— Fleet  Horses— Crimes  and  Criminals— Xelley 
Brothers'  Gang— Victoria  Prison. 

REFLECTING  upon  the  events  and  experiences  of  a 
thirty  years'  life  in  the  Australian  colonies,  it  seems 
to  me  a  dream  in  which  the  forms  and  faces  and  names 
of  many  distinguished  statesmen,  eminent  citizens  and 
personal  friends  pass  in  review,  some  familiar,  others 
known  by  sight  or  reputation,  vividly  impressing  the 
mind  like  a  well-remembered  vision  of  the  night. 

Sir  Charles  McMahon,  prime  minister  of  Victoria,  first 
moves  across  my  mental  panorama,  followed  by  the  Hays 
ministry,  and  close  upon  its  heels  comes  John  O'Shaugh- 
nessy,  who  filled  the  office  of  prime  minister  for  two  or 
more  terms,  then  James  McCulloch.  Graham  Barry  of 
Geelong  succeeded  to  this  first  and  most  enviable  office  in 
the  Colonial  empire,  being  the  leader  of  the  Liberals. 
It  was  under  his  administration  that  the  dead-lock  was 
put  on  and  held  so  long,  which  is  known  in  parliamentary 
history  as  the  Black  Wednesday.  The  Sarvis  administra- 
tion moves  on  the  mental  canvas  with  a  suggestion  of 


PIONEER   SETTLERS.  445 

its  old  political  storms  and  struggles.  Sarvis  was  a  very 
able  man  and  the  opposition  in  the  parliament  embraced 
many  strong  men ;  all  were  doubtless  honest  and  conscien- 
tious, but  like  statesmen  and  politicians  in  all  govern- 
ments and  countries,  their  political  telescopes  were  not 
adjusted  to  the  same  focus.  Good  old  John  Faulkner  now 
passes  before  me.  He  headed  a  Tasmanian  party  of  set- 
tlers, and  subsequently  started  the  first  newspaper  in 
Melbourne,  and  for  many  years  held  a  seat  in  the  Victoria 
parliament,  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age  and  died  some  time  in 
the  seventies.  Dr.  Lang,  another  prominent  gentle- 
man, was  a  member  of  the  New  South  Wales  parlia- 
ment, and  probably  did  as  much  as  any  other  man  for 
the  good  of  the  colonies.  The  Hennises  were  famous 
early  pioneers  of  the  country.  Leaving  Tasmania  in 
1840,  and  coming  to  Victoria,  the  venerable  Angis  Mc- 
Millan was  the  first  pioneer  of  Gipps'  Land,  and,  in  consid- 
eration of  the  personal  respect  in  which  he  was  held  in  the 
regions  of  the  Australian  Alps,  was  made  a  member  of 
parliament.  Mr.  Mooney  of  Mooney's  Points,  four  miles 
out  of  Melbourne,  was  an  eminent  citizen. 

Among  the  gentlemen  of  great  wealth,  Sir  Thomas 
Elder  of  South  Australia  passes  in  my  mind.  Probably 
no  other  single  individual  has  done  so  much  through  the 
means  of  his  own  private  fortune  towards  the  exploration 
and  development  of  the  mighty  continent  as  has  Sir 
Thomas.  He  is  famed,  moreover,  for  the  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  the  breed  of  sheep.  Mr.  James  Tyson  is 
an  instance  of  quick  if  not  sudden  rise  to  preeminent 
wealth  from  absolute  poverty— not  from  digging  gold  or 


446  EMINENT    STOCK    BREEDERS. 

stumbling  against  great  nuggets  thereof,  but  first  as  a 
humble  cattle  driver  on  a  station,  and  then  a  furnisher  of 
fat  cattle  to  the  butchers  in  the  diggings  during  the  early 
part  of  the  golden  age  of  the  country.  Now  he  possesses 
the  largest  stations  and  is  regarded  as  the  wealthiest 
cattle  owner  in  the  colonies.  Truly  he  can  say  like  the 
patriarch,  ''Thy  servant's  trade  hath  been  about  cattle," 
and  there  is  "millions  in  it." 

Big  Clark,  as  he  was  called,  was  reputed  the  largest 
real  estate  owner  in  the  world,  surpassing,  in  acres  at 
least,  the  dukes  of  Westminster  and  Norfolk.  It  was  said 
of  him  that  he  never  did  the  community  much  good 
except  in  his  death,  when  his  estate  fell  to  his  eldest  son, 
afterwards  Sir  William  Clark,  who  has  done  much  to 
improve  and  promote  agricultural  industries,  and  donates 
largely  to  sustain  and  enliven  agricultural  associations. 

No  vision  of  the  past  would  be  either  perfect  or  satisfac- 
tory in  which  "the  horse  and  his  rider"  failed  to  appear: 
therefore  we  invoke  the  shadowy  memories  of  the  men  of 
the  turf.  George  Watson  and  William  Yule  are  probably 
the  most  venerable  names  in  the  history  and  antiquities 
of  the  Victorian  race-course— the  former  for  many  years,  and 
even  up  to  this  day,  although  well  up  in  the  seventies, 
holding  the  baton  of  authority  as  starter.  Mr.  Yule  first 
bred,  but  for  many  years  has  kept  a  horse  bazaar  for  the 
sale  of  thorough-bred  horses.  Mr.  Hurdle  and  Charles 
Fisher  stand  next,  they  having  been  among  the  first  in  the 
colonies  to  import  thorough-bred  stock.  They  imported 
the  world-renowned  horse,  Fisherman,  that  won  fifty- 
seven  cups  out  of  sixty-five,  run  for  in  England  before 


THE    CLAIMANT.  447 

coming  to  the  colonies.  William  Peverson  and  Alexander 
Smith  of  Gipps'  Land  have  been  extensive  horse  breeders. 
It  was  the  latter  who  raised  so  many  Smugler  colts,  send- 
ing as  many  to  India  as  any  other  breeder  in  the  colonies. 
Dr.  L.L.  Smith  of  Melbourne,  well-known  as  the  ''sporting 
doctor,"  has  been  a  great  breeder  of  choice  stock,  besides 
being  the  owner  of  Lady  Maner  Sutton,  who  ran  the  fast- 
est mile  time  in  the  colonies.  He  also  bred  the  celebrated 
colt,  Melancholy  Jaques.  S.  S.  Stoughton,  who  accumu- 
lated five  millions  of  dollars  and  was  the  owner  of  several 
of  the  finest  buildings  in  Flinder's  Lane,  Melbourne, 
started  in  life  from  humble  circumstances.  He  is  an  exten- 
sive station  owner,  and  his  flocks  are  high  up  in  the  thou- 
sands. Andy  Martin  of  Barnesdale,  Gipps'  Land,  is  a  great 
breeder  and  shipper  of  horses  to  India.  He  was,  in  the 
early  days,  a  Melbourne  publican. 

And  now  who  comes  onto  my  mental  panorama? 
Surely  it  is  no  less  a  personage  than  the  "Claimant," 
Arthur  Orton,  as  he  was  first  known  in  Australia,  and 
who  subsequently  claimed  to  be  Roger  Tichbourne,  heir 
to  the  Tichbourne  estate  in  England.  Some  time  about 
1860  there  came  along  a  man  and  hired  out  upon  the 
Hart  station  in  north  Gipps'  Land.  He  was  a  quiet,  un- 
assuming fellow,  rather  lazy,  and  the  other  station  hands 
deemed  him  not  remarkably  bright.  One  thing,  however, 
they  all  agreed  in,  and  that  was  that  he  was  an  awful  liar 
when  on  a  drinking  spree.  Then  he  would  blow  about 
wrhat  he  was  worth  in  England — claiming  that  he  had 
money  enough  coming  to  him  to  buy  Gipps'  Land. 
When  he  got  sober  he  would  fall  into  his  usual  quiet  or 


448  ARTHUR    ORTON. 

stupid  ways,  and  when  questioned  about  what  he  had 
said,  he  would  tell  them  not  to  mind  what  he  said  when 
he  was  drunk.  But  when  the  next  time  he  was  under 
the  influence  of  his  controlling  spirit,  the  other  station  boys 
would  interview  him  and  inquire  if  he  was  going  to  buy 
out  Gipps'  Land.  He  would  generally  get  mad  at  his 
tormentors,  and  again  swear  he  could  do  it,  and  the  day 
would  come  when  he  would  prove  it  to  them.  Time  rolled 
on  and  so  did  Arthur,  until  he  rolled  out  of  Hart  station, 
and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  him  until  some  time  about 
1866,  when  an  advertisement  appeared  in  all  the  colonial 
papers  wanting  information  of  the  whereabouts  of  Roger 
Tichbourne,  heir  to  the  Tichbourne  estate  in  England.  Im- 
agine everyone's  surprise  when  our  Gipps'  Land  stock 
rider  again  turned  up,  this  time  at  Waga  Waga,  as  the 
Tichbourne  claimant.  He  had  gone  there  from  Hart  sta- 
tion and  had  engaged  in  the  butchering  business.  Every- 
body remembers  the  famous  trial  and  its  result.  Com- 
missioners were  sent  to  Gipps'  Land  to  take  depositions, 
and  several  witnesses  went  to  England  in  person.  The 
contestants  proved  that  there  was  an  Arthur  Orton,  a 
butcher,  that  left  Wapping,  England,  some  years  before 
and  was  known  in  Australia  as  the  "Wapping  butcher," 
who  died  in  the  lunatic  asylum  in  Sydney.  Opinion  is  di- 
vided in  Australia,  but  there  are  many  who  believe  to  this 
day  that  the  claimant  is  the  rightful  heir.  However,  in 
Waga  Waga,  they  claim  that  the  Arthur  Orton  who  sup- 
plied the  citizens  there  with  choice  steaks  was  at  least  a 
whapping  butcher,  for  he  weighed  280  pounds. 
New  South  Wales  now  appears  in  my  mental  review. 


NOTED    HORSES.  449 

That  color^  can  now  turn  out  many  famous  sports  and 
eminent  citizens  as  well  as  her  sistercolony.  Mr.  Green  of 
Paramatta  was  the  gentleman  who  responded  to  the  Vic- 
torian turf  union  in  1858,  to  run  "  Alice  Hothan"  against 
any  horse  New  South  Wales  could  produce.  Mr.  Green 
took  up  the  challenge  on  his  own  account  and  backed  his 
horse  "Veno"  for  one  thousand  pounds  a  side.  Upon 
arriving  in  Victoria  some  thought  the  Victorians  had 
selected  the  wrong  horse — that  they  should  have  presented 
"Black  Boy."  Mr.  Green  agreed  to  match  that  horse  for 
the  same  amount— three  miles,  same  distance.  He  won 
both  races,  running  the  second  two  hours  after  the  first 
race.  Mr.  DeMasters  and  Mr.  Lang  are  also  eminent  and 
reputable  sporting  gentlemen  of  the  New  South  Wales 
colony.  The  colonies  never  had  but  one  sporting  governor, 
Sir  Hercules  Robinson,  who  owned  some  of  the  fastest 
stock  in  the  colonies.  There  are  many  other  gentlemen  of 
equal  note  in  both  colonies,  and  Tasmania,  though  small, 
is  a  land  of  fast  horses  and  gentlemanly  proprietors  of 
such  stock.  New  Zealand,  as  well,  has  splendid  stock  and 
many  excellent  and  honorable  sports.  It  would  take  a 
book  instead  of  a  few  brief  pages  to  do  justice  to  this 
class  of  stock  cultivators.  All  to  whom  allusion  has  been 
here  made  are  of  a  high  type  of  citizens,  devoted  to  the 
development  of  the  highest  powers  and  fleetest  speed  of 
the  noblest  and  most  useful  animal  bestowed  upon  man> 
and  by  their  untiring  efforts  they  have  made  the  Austra- 
lian horse  more  famous  and  fleet  than  the  ancient  and  his- 
torical Arabian  steed  of  the  desert. 
While  crimes  and  criminals  do  not  furnish  material  for  a 


450  CRIMINALS. 

very  interesting  discourse  or  attractive  reading,  neverthe- 
less they  constitute  no  small  part  of  the  annals  of  a  new- 
country,  especially  one  hastily  and  rapidly  settled  under 
the  exciting  influences  of  the  discovery  of  rich  gold  fields, 
as  was  Australia.  I  therefore  make  no  apology  for  allud- 
ing to  a  few  of  the  most  memorable  criminal  occurrences 
that  transpired  during  my  time  in  that  country,  the  mem- 
ory of  which  now  completes  my  panoramic  view.  In  1852-4 
there  was  one  Melville,  reported  to  be  of  a  high  family  in 
England,  who  became  a  leader  or  captain  of  an  organized 
band  of  bush-rangers.  He  was  accustomed  to  make  tours 
through  the  country,  robbing  and  sticking  up.  Then  he 
would  return  to  the  city,  and  there  live  in  luxunr  until  his 
means  were  exhausted,  and  then  return  to  his  old  haunts 
and  occupation.  It  was  upon  one  of  these  sprees,  as  they 
are  called  there,  that  he  was  taken,  having  been  given 
away  by  one  of  his  pals,  named  Bradley,  of  Geelong.  He 
was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  some  thirty  years  penal 
servitude  aboard  the  hulks  at  Williamstown.  At  that 
early  day  the  land  prison,  or  pentry,  as  they  called  it,  was 
not  ample  enough  for  all  the  prisoners,  and  the  government 
fitted  up  some  old  unsea  worthy  hulks  where  prisoners  were 
kept  nights,  taking  them  ashore  to  work  during  the  day 
upon  the  public  works.  One  evening  when  Melville  and 
four  others  were  returning  to  the  hulks,  they  suddenly 
turned  upon  the  warder  and  killed  him,  and  attempted  to 
escape  in  the  boat.  They  were  captured,  tried  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  hung.  While  waiting  the  day  of  execution, 
Melville  wrote  a  letter  exposing  the  cruelty  practiced  by 
the  officers  upon  the  prisoners,  and  the  inhumanity  of  the 


KILLING    OF    MR.   PRICE.  451 

inspector-general  of  the  penal  service.  The  letter  somehow 
got  into  the  newspapers,  and  the  charges  were  of  so  grave 
a  nature  that  the  public  demanded  that  before  Melville's 
execution  an  investigation  of  the  charges  should  be  made, 
and  it  was  made.  The  inquiry  resulted  in  the  commuting 
of  Melville's  sentence  to  imprisonment.  He  eventually 
became  frantic  and  desperate,  and  attempted  the  life  of 
the  warder  with  the  sharpened  handle  of  an  iron  spoon. 
He  was  finally  overcome  and  placed  in  irons.  One  morn- 
ing he  was  found  dead.  He  had  strangled  himself  with  his 
necktie.  Upon  his  slate  he  had  written  that  he  had 
strangled  himself— but  was  not  conquered — that  he  would 
die  with  a  smile  on  his  face.  It  was  said  that  the  smile  was 
there.    But  that  is  doubtless  criminal  romance. 

Doubtless  great  cruelty  had  been  practiced,  but  as  soon 
as  something  had  been  done  to  rectify  those  wrongs,  the 
prisoners  thought  they  had  the  right  to  demand  more,  and 
to  rebel  if  their  demands  were  not  complied  with.  In 
March,  1856,  there  was  an  outbreak  upon  the  Williams- 
town  works,  and  Mr.  Price  was  sent  for.  He  walked  down 
fearlessly  among  the  rioters,  and  was  immediately  pounced 
upon  and  killed.  Seven  were  tried  for  this  murder,  found 
guilty  and  hung.  I  was  unfortunate  enough  to  witness 
the  execution  of  three  of  them.  Having  business  that 
morning  near  the  jail,  I  was  brought  in  for  a  juror.  Ever 
after  that  I  gave  the  vicinity  of  the  jail  a  wide  berth  morn- 
ings of  executions. 

Black  Douglas'  band  of  bush-rangers  were  for  a  long 
time  a  terror  to  the  country,  but  they  confined  themselves 
to  the  more  agreeable  business  of  robbing  and  sticking  up, 


452  MORGAN,  THE  TERROR. 

never  taking  life.  They  were  all,  however,  taken  at  last, 
and  served  their  terms  in  prison.  Gipsey  Smith  was  an- 
other notorious  character,  who  had  his  circuit  of  labors 
in  the  Meriborough  district.  He  was  at  last  captured  by 
shooting  his  horse  from  under  him.  He  got  fifteen  years, 
five  of  them  in  irons. 

About  1863  to  1 865  Morgan,  a  public  terror,  flourished— 
a  desperate  and  bloodthirsty  wretch  who  commenced  his 
career  by  horse  stealing;  gotatwo  years'  sentence  in  1859, 
served  his  term  and  at  once  took  to  the  road,  where  he 
worked  solely  on  his  own  account.  The  fact  was  that  he 
was  so  cruel  that  no  partner  in  crime  would  remain  with 
him.  His  principal  beat  was  in  the  Ovens  district  and  in 
that  vicinity.  When  goods  and  groceries  were  being  trans- 
ported by  six  horse  teams,  he  would  lie  in  wait  for  the 
return  trip  and  stick  up  the  teamster  for  the  money,  the 
proceeds  of  the  goods.  If  he  happened  to  be  in  bad  temper, 
he  would,  after  getting  the  money,  turn  in  his  saddle,  as  he 
was  about  to  ride  away,  and  shoot  his  victim  down. 
Once  he  stuck  up  a  station,  and  upon  riding  away,  turned 
and  deliberately  fired  at  some  persons  standing  near  and 
wounded  a  little  boy.  He  then  turned  to  one  of  the  men 
and  ordered  him  to  go  for  the  doctor,  but  upon  the  man's 
mounting  a  horse  and  starting,  he  followed  and  shot  him 
dead.  At  this  one  time  he  killed  and  wounded  five  persons. 
He  managed  to  avoid  the  police,  and  so  numerous  had 
become  bis  depredations  that  the  Victorian  government 
offered  a  reward  of  two  thousand  pounds  or  ten  thousand 
do1lars  for  him,  dead  or  alive.  At  last  his  time  came.  He 
stuck  up  a  station  near  Wangaratta.      Here  he  ordered 


GARDNER— THE    GILBERTS.  453 

them  to  bring  out  the  brandy  and  the  young  ladies  to 
play  the  piano  while  he  sat  drinking,  with  the  whole  com- 
pany in  front  of  him,  with  two  revolvers  on  the  table. 
But,  as  sharp  as  he  supposed  himself  to  be,  a  little  girl 
living  at  the  station  managed  to  make  her  escape,  and  ran 
through  the  bush  five  miles  and  gave  the  alarm  to  the 
police.  They  assembled  a  large  party  of  volunteers  who 
came  down,  surrounded  the  station  before  daylight,  and 
upon  his  coming  out  of  the  house  in  the  morning,  he  was 
shot.  He  spoke  but  once  and  died.  The  little  girl  received 
five  thousand  dollars  of  the  reward.  Thus  fell  the  worst 
bush-ranger  that  ever  disgraced  the  Australian  colonies. 

One  Frank  Gardner  operated  in  New  South  Wales.  He 
was  once  taken  but  made  his  escape,  and  some  pretty  hard 
reflections  were  made  upon  the  chief  of  police  on  account 
thereof.  Gardner  made  his  way  up  into  Queensland, 
where  he  operated  for  two  years,  when  he  was  captured  by 
some  detectives  and  brought  back  to  New  South  Wales, 
where  he  was  tried  on  numerous  charges  and  got  thirty-two 
years .  His  health  ultimately  failed ;  friends  interceded  in  his . 
behalf  and  he  was  pardoned  on  condition  of  his  leavingthe 
colonies.  He  went  to  California  and  the  genial  climate  of 
that  noble  state  restored  him  to  health,  and  he  still  lives. 

The  Gilbert  gang  was  a  notorious  fraternity  comprising 
four  persons.  These,  like  many  other  colonial  native-born 
persons,  commenced  their  professional  career  by  making 
horse  stealing  a  specialty.  They  subsequently  enlarged 
their  practice  by  adding  the  profitable  business  of  mail 
robbing.  The  police  took  much  interest  in  the  fraternity 
and  sought  to  make  their  acquaintance,  but  never  could 


454  THE    KELLEY   GANG. 

get  an  introduction  or  an  interview.  Finally  they  bribed 
the  venerable  grandfather  of  one  of  the  boys,  who  invited 
the  members  of  the  syndicate  to  dine  with  him,  and  after 
the  cloth  was  removed  and  his  guests  were  well  in  their 
cups,  the  prudent  old  grandfather  drew  the  charges  from 
their  rifles  and  revolvers  and  signaled  to  the  police,  who 
came  down  upon  them.  The  boys  seized  their  guns,  only 
to  find  that  they  had  been  tampered  with.  They  made 
an  effort  to  escape,  but  three  were  killed  on  the  spot.  The 
other  was  taken  prisoner,  and  I  think  he  was  hung.  Gil- 
bert was  a  Canadian,  the  others  native-born.  Gilbert  had 
A  father  and  brother  there,  respected  citizens,  who  deplored 
the  wayward  son  and  brother. 

The  Kelley  brothers,  twenty-two  and  eighteen  years  of 
age,  with  their  associates,  were  a  most  determined  and 
powerful  gang  of  desperadoes.  They  were  all  natives  of 
Victoria.  Like  most  of  the  rest,  they  graduated  as  horse 
thieves.  Ned  and  Dan  were  their  baptismal  names.  There 
was  a  warrant  out  for  Ned,  and  a  policeman  went  to  old 
Mr.  Kellcy's  house  to  arrest  him.  A  row  ensued,  and  the 
policeman  was  shot  in  the  wrist.  He  claimed  Dan  shot 
him,  but  the  other  side  claimed  the  policeman  shot  himself 
through  his  own  unguardedness.  However,  he  failed  to 
make  the  arrest.  The  boys  made  their  escape  to  the  ranges 
and  there  kept  themselves  for  weeks.  Four  policemen  at- 
tempted to  rout  them  from  their  hiding-place,  and  camped 
one  Saturday  night  upon  a  creek.  In  the  morning,  two 
remained  to  cook  breakfast,  while  the  other  two  recon- 
noitered  the  country.  While  one  was  at  the  fire  cooking — 
the  other  lying  upon  a  log — there  came  the  well-known 


OUTLAWED.  455 

word— "Bail  up!  "  The  one  on  the  log  sprang  for  his  re- 
volver, but  was  shot  dead.  The  other  had  the  good  sense 
to  hold  up  his  hands,  and  was  saved.  Four  men  came  up 
and  buried  the  dead  man,  but  told  the  other  if  he  kept 
quiet  they  would  spare  him.  He  was  to  let  the  other  two 
policemen  ride  into  camp  before  telling  them  what  had 
happened.  He  was  to  tell  them  that  he  had  been  stuck 
up,  and  if  they  would  surrender  peaceably  no  harm  would 
be  done  them,  but  when  the  two  were  told  what  had  hap- 
pened, they  thought  it  a  joke  and  got  off  their  horses. 
Upon  getting  off,  they  saw  the  revolver  pointed  towards 
them.  They  drew  and  fired.  Shooting  now  began  ingood 
earnest,  and  while  the  two  were  engaged  with  the 
gang,  the  one  first  taken  prisoner  jumped  upon  a  horse. 
Both  he  and  his  horse  received  a  slight  wound,  but  he  got 
clear,  and  crawled  into  a  hollow  log  and  remained  till  dark, 
when  he  made  his  way  to  the  nearest  station,  Mansfield, 
and  reported  himself.  The  wires  carried  the  news,  and 
hundreds  of  police  went  to  search  and  look  after  the  fate 
of  the  two.  They  were  found,  one  apparently  instantly 
shot  dead,  while  the  other,  the  sergeant,  had  fought  a  re- 
treating battle  for  some  hundred  yards,  and  fell  with  five 
shots  in  him.  For  weeks  the  country  was  scoured  to  no 
purpose.  The  Government  Gazette  proclaimed  the  two 
Kelleys  and  their  two  unknown  associates  outlaws.  The 
other  two  were  found  out  to  be  one  Burns  of  Woolshed 
creek,  his  mother  a  widow,  the  other  the  son  of  a  farmer, 
living  near  Wangaratta.  His  name  was  Steve  Hart,  only 
eighteen  years  old.  His  family  were  very  respectable. 
There  was  nothing  but  the  Kelleys  talked  of  for  sometime, 


456  BANK    ROBBERY. 

but  nothing  was  known  of  their  whereabouts,  until  at 
last  the  excitement  died  out.  About  three  months  after 
the  murder  of  the  police,  there  came  news  to  Melbourne — 
Urora  bank  had  been  stuck  and  robbed  of  two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  the  robbers  were  the 
Kelley  gang.  The  gang  rode  into  a  station  and  stuck  up 
all  hands  there,  telling  them  only  to  keep  quiet  and  no 
harm  would  come  to  them.  They  used  the  store-room  as 
a  prison,  took  charge  of  all  that  came  along,  as  the  sta- 
tion was  near  the  road,  until  they  had  some  twenty  or 
more  prisoners.  Burns  and  Ned  mounted  their  horses  and 
started  for  Urora,  four  miles  distant,  while  Dan  and  Steve 
kept  sentry.  Ned  and  his  pal  rode  direct  to  the  bank, 
walked  in  as  if  going  to  make  a  deposit,  leveled  their  re- 
volvers at  the  manager  and  cashier,  robbed  the  safe,  took 
the  manager  and  his  wife  and  the  cashier,  hitched  up  the 
manager's  horse  and  trap.  Ned  got  in  with  the  family, 
and  Burns  rode  alongside  and  drove  to  the  station,  where 
the  other  prisoners  were.  This  all  took  place  in  a  little 
country  town,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  da}'-time.  They  kept 
them  prisoners  all  night  and  part  of  the  next  day.  In  the 
meantime,  a  peddler  came  along.  He  was  rather  saucy  to 
the  boys,  and  to  punish  him  they  each  took  a  suit  of 
clothes.  This  was  all  they  were  ever  known  to  take  from 
a  private  person.  Again  the  whole  country  and  the  police 
were  aroused  for  another  month.  They  sent  to  Queens- 
land for  the  black  trackers,  but  they  were  of  no  use,  for 
they  would  only  follow  to  the  scrub,  would  stop  and  go 
no  further.  Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  two  months 
more,  and  nothing  was  heard  of  the  Kelleys.    The  excite- 


GREAT    REWARDS    OFFERED.  457 

ment  died  out  again.  Finally  the  police  got  quarreling 
among  themselves.  The  Victorian  government  had  offered 
a  reward  of  four  thousand  pounds  sterling,  or  one  thou- 
sand pounds  for  each,  or  two  thousand  pounds  for  Ned 
alone,  dead  or  alive.  There  seemed  to  be  an  impression  that 
after  robbing  the  bank  they  had  quit  the  country.  But 
soon  there  came  a  new  cry  of  the  Kelley  gang,  this  time 
from  New  South  Wales,  just  over  the  border,  in  a  little 
town  named  Jeraldgong.  The  gang  had  taken  possession 
of  the  town,  bank,  telegraph  and  public  house,  and  to  the 
last-named  place  marched  the  whole  population,  held  the 
town  for  twenty-four  hours,  then  left,  taking  with  them 
some  two  thousand  four  hundred  pounds  sterling.  New 
South  Wales  offered  a  reward  equal  to  that  of  Victoria, 
making  forty  thousand  dollars.  Yet  with  all  this  reward 
the  game  was  not  to  be  had.  The  excitement  rose  and 
died  out  as  before,  to  all  appearance,  but  the  police  were 
at  work.  Nearly  two  years  had  elapsed  since  the  reward 
was  first  offered,  and  one  day  a  notice  appeared  in  the 
papers  that  after  the  thirtieth  of  January  the  reward  would 
be  withdrawn.  At  last  the  police  succeeded  in  bribing  one 
of  Burns'  old  pards  in  crime.  Dan  Kelley  and  Burns  got 
wind  of  the  bribery  of  their  old  pard,  and  went  on  the  in- 
vitation, knocked  at  the  door  of  his  hut,  and  as  he  opened 
it  they  shot  him  dead.  Then  they  challenged  the  two 
policemen  secreted  in  the  hut  to  mortal  combat,  but  they 
knew  better  than  to  come  out,  and  remained  inside 
till  daylight,  and  then  went  to  Beechworth  and  reported 
the  killing  of  the  decoy  duck. 
Ned  was  alarmed  at  the  killing  of  t he  man  by  Dan  and 


458  IMPRISONING    A    WHOLE    VILLAGE. 

Burns,  as  they  knew  the  whole  force  of  police  would 
soon  be  on  them  where  they  then  were,  so  they  mounted 
their  horses  and  struck  out  for  a  little  town  on  the  Mel- 
bourne &  Beechworth  railroad,  about  twelve  miles  from 
Wangaratta.  Here  they  took  possession  of  the  town, 
railroad  station  and  all.  It  was  Sunday  morning  and  no 
trains  were  run  on  that  day.  They  marched  everybody  to 
prison,  appropriating  for  that  purpose  the  hotel  kept  by 
a  Mrs.  Jcnes.  There  were  forty-three  in  all,  among  them 
the  station-master,  telegraph  operator,  school-master 
and  all  the  railway  second  hands,  which  they  made  go 
and  tear  up  a  portion  of  the  track. 

Then  thev  went  about  the  business  of  drinking.  At 
nine  o'clock  Sunday  morning  the  news  was  brought  to 
Beechworth  of  the  affair,  a  telegram  sent  to  Mel- 
bourne, and  a  special  train  with  policemen  and  horses 
scudded  over  the  rails  at  forty  miles  an  hour.  The  Kelley 
gang,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  their  actions  were  known 
-at  Melbourne  and  that  a  special  train  with  a  police  force 
was  on  the  track,  went  in  for  a  carousal  all  day  Sunday, 
drinking  and  dancing.  The  school-master  pretended  to 
be  friendly  with  them,  and  laughed  and  talked  and  danced 
and  drank  with  them  until  the  Kelley's  thought  the}' 
really  had  a  friend  in  him  they  could  depend  upon.  At 
last  about  nine  o'clock  Sunday  night  the  school-master's 
wife  pretended  to  be  taken  suddenly  sick  and  in  great  pain 
and  distress,  and  he  applied  to  Ned  to  let  him  take  her 
home,  which  he  did.  As  soon  as  he  got  her  home  he  struck 
out  on  the  track  beyond  where  the  break  was,  with  a 
signal  light,  just  as  the  train  was  about  half  a  mile  distant. 


460  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  POLICE. 

The  engineer  saw  the  danger  signal  and  slacked  the  train, 
and  when  it  came  to  a  stand-still  he  was  not  long  in 
giving  the  information.  The  house  was  soon  surrounded 
and  the  police  demanded  a  surrender.  The  Kelleys  came 
out  on  the  veranda  and  exchanged  a  number  of  shots  with 
the  police,  the  people  in  the  house  lying  upon  the  floor.  F ir- 
ing  was  continued  at  intervals  till  morning.  Three  of  the 
people  and  a  little  boy  were  killed.  Burns,  one  of  the 
gang,  was  shot  in  the  groin  and  bled  to  death  during  the 
night.  Ned  broke  out  in  the  darkness  and  made  his  escape. 
In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  light,  the  police  ordered  all 
the  occupants  to  come  forth  hands  up,  and  all  came  out 
in  that  manner  except  Steve  Hart  and  Dan  Kelley.  Ned 
had  escaped  and  Burns  was  dead.  It  was  a  pitiful  sight 
to  see  the  little  children  coming  out  with  their  hands  up 
above  their  heads.  Dan  and  Steve  held  the  fort  and  refused 
to  surrender.  The  house  was  fired  and  they  perished  in 
the  flames.  Ned  was  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
captured,  convicted  of  murder  and  executed.  When  he  was 
sentenced  he  thanked  the  supreme  judge  and  prophesied 
that  his  honor  would  be  in  hell  before  him.  The  prisoner 
was  hung,  and  it  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  the  judge 
died  before  the  execution.  It  cost  the  government  sixty 
thousand  pounds.  The  reward  was  paid,  and  the  school- 
master got  ten  thousand  dollars  out  of  the  forty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

But  enough  of  this  minutiae  and  particulars  of  an  unin- 
teresting subject.  Suph  gangs  of  desperadoes  and  outlaws 
were  once  very  numerous,  and  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  look  at  a  newspaper  without   finding  therein  some 


CRIMINAL    EDUCATION.  461 

blood-curdling  account  of  robbery  and  murder.  Madam 
Sawyer  has  a  famous  "Chamber  of  Horrors"  in  Bourke 
street,  Melbourne,  like  unto  Madam  Tassaud's  in  London, 
and  when  an  execution  takes  place  she  has  a  cast  made 
of  the  subject  for  her  establishment,  which  now  contains 
a  small  army  of  the  most  notorious  criminal  characters 
of  Australia,  represented  in  wax.  In  the  system  of  crim- 
inal education  in  that  country  there  is,  of  course,  the 
kindergarten  and  juvenile  object  lessons,  followed  by  the 
primary,  which  relates  to  horse  stealing  and  cattle  "  duff- 
ing;" from  these  the  advance  is  generally  to  "sticking 
up"  their  fellow-citizens;  then  comes  the  more  attractive 
studies  in  mail  and  bank  robberies,  safe  cracking  and 
kindred  lessons ;  and  then  follows  the  high  school  and  the 
graduating  class  of  bush-rangers,  desperadoes  and  mur- 
derers. 

However,  at  this  time  the  Australian  colonies,  for  gen- 
eral sobriety,  honesty  and  good  citizenship,  will  compare 
favorably  with  any  nation  or  country  on  the  earth ;  and 
it  is  remarkable  that  of  the  native  born  so  few  are  of  the 
criminal  class,  when  it  is  considered  that  in  the  early  days 
so  many  of  their  fathers  were  sent  to  the  colonies  for  crime, 
or  what  in  England  was  deemed  crime— an  offense  against 
society  and  the  government — in  those  days. 

The  penal  prison  of  Victoria  is  located  at  Pentrage  town, 
on  the  Beechworth  road,  about  five  miles  to  the  north  of 
Melbourne.  The  buildings  are  of  blue  stone  and  present 
rather  a  gloomy  appearance.  The  grounds  embrace  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  or  one  mile  square,  the  whole  en- 
closed by  a  wall  twenty-one  feet  high  and  two  feet  thick 


462  PENTRAGE    PRISON. 

at  the  top.  The  area  embraces  a  large  stone  quarry 
where  hundreds  of  prisoners  are  constantly  employed  in 
quarrying  stone.  About  three  hundred  acres  is  devoted 
to  cultivation,  and  most  of  the  products  are  used  on  the 
premises.  The  vegetables  are  all  grown  by  the  prisoners, 
especially  by  those  of  short  sentence  or  whose  term  is 
nearly  expired.  However,  once  in  there  is  little  chance  of 
getting  out  by  scaling  the  walls,  for  there  are  watchmen 
upon  thy  walls,  0  Pentrage,  who  will  never  hold  their 
peace  day  nor  night,  should  a  prisoner  attempt  to 
escape!  They  work  through  the  day  and  are  locked  in 
their  cells  at  night.  The  prisons  are  divided  into  three 
separate  departments,  A,  B  and  C,  according  to  the  length 
of  the  term  of  sentence.  Such  as  are  kept  in  solitary  con- 
finement during  the  whole  of  their  occupancy  are  only  let 
out  one  hour  in  a  day  for  exercise,  and  then  are  compelled 
to  wear  a  mask  and  are  not  allowed  to  speak,  not  even 
to  the  warder,  unless  spoken  to.  Those  confined  in  divis- 
ion B  are  mostly  employed  in  the  stone-cutting  yards. 
There  are  numerous  walled  enclosures  within  the  great 
surrounding  wall.  Many  of  these  interior  enclosures  are 
stone-cutting  yards.  These,  like  the  others,  are  marched 
to  their  cells  after  their  day's  work.  The  men  in  division 
C  fare  better,  but  it  is  only  for  a  short  time,  near  the  close 
of  their  term.  They  are  allowed  in  a  large  yard  and  to 
converse,  and  upon  holidays  to  have  sports  and  meals 
together  in  a  large  mess-room.  Their  clothes  are  coarse 
gray  woolen,  each  article  of  apparel  being  numbered  with 
the  prisoner's  number,  as  they  do  not  go  by  name.  Their 
food  is  good  and  wholesome,  and  for  those  who  are  at 


END    OF    THE    PANORAMA.  463 

work,  plenty  of  it.  But  those  who  are  confined  under 
discipline  get  only  half  rations.  There  are  many  termed 
"old  hands  "  who  would  not  miss  being  there  during  the 
winter  months — in  fact,  they  look  to  the  Pentrage  as  their 
home.  They  have  been  there  so  many  times  it  seems  to 
them  like  getting  back  to  theif  father's  house.  The  pano- 
rama has  completed  its  circuit  and  here  the  curtain  drops 
upon  Australia,  leaving  only  to  myself  alone  pleasant  mem- 
ories of  many  scenes,  friendships  and  experiences  that  can- 
not be  recorded  here,  but  which  time  can  never  obliterate 
from  my  memory. 


464  GIPPS'  LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Gipps'  Land— Pioneers— Stations— Great  Estates— Horse  Aristoc- 
racy—Stringy Bark— House  Building— Gum  and  Cherry  Trees 
—  Bountiful  Crops— Answering  an  Advertisement— Tongia— In 
the  Mountains— Murder  of  Green— Omeo— Discovery— Chinese- 
Spanish— Dutch— Captain  Cook— First  Colony— Lost  and  Found 
—First  Newspaper— Governors— Law  System  and  Courts— Popu- 
lation Then  and  Now. 

ALTHOUGH  I  considered  my  engagement  closed  when 
the  curtain  dropped  at  the  end  of  the  last  chapter, 
it  has  been  rung  up  again  just  to  enable  me  to  say  some- 
thing a  little  more  definite  about  Gipps'  Land,  which  I 
have  heretofore  mentioned  only  in  a  general  way.  I  feel 
it  a  pleasant  duty  to  do,  for  whatever  of  a  continued 
city  and  abiding-place  I  had  in  Australia  in  the  last 
twelve  years  previous  to  my  leaving  the  country,  was  in 
that  department  of  the  Victorian  colony.  It  is  situated 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  that  colony,  and  within  its 
area  it  embraces  a  portion  of  that  eastern  coast  range  of 
mountains  named  by  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  the  Aus- 
tralian Alps.  The  great  geologist,  many  years  prior  to 
gold  discovery,  having  compared  them  to  the  Ural  mount- 
ains in  their   geological   elements    and   formation,  pro- 


GIPPS'  LAND  PIONEERS.  465 

nounced  them  gold  bearing,  and  prophesied  their  ultimate 
development  as  gold  fields. 

Gipps'  Land  was  discovered,  or  rather,  I  should  say, 
opened  up  and  a  settlement  begun  by  Angis  McMillan, 
whom  I  have  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter.  His  party 
came  down  from  New  South  Wales  and  settled  on  a  little 
river  that  they  named  Avon,  which  empties  into  Lake  Well- 
ington, being  one  of  the  Gipps'  Land  chain  of  lakes.  They 
named  their  camping  place  Stratford,  which  has  developed 
into  a  respectable  town  and  retains  that  name  unto  this 
day — so  we  have  a  Stratford-on-Avon,  and  in  that 
respect  we  are  on  an  equality  with  the  mother  country, 
as  we  are  with  her  in  holding  in  veneration  the  name 
and  memory  of  the  immortal  dramatist.  Some  of  the 
party  took  up  ranges  on  Flooding  creek,  twelve  miles 
away,  now  the  town  of  Sail  and  the  capital  of  Gipps' 
Land.  For  some  years  but  little  was  known  of  that  part 
of  the  colony,  only  as  an  unexplored  country.  At  last 
squatters  commenced  to  come  in  pretty  rapidly  for  settle- 
ment, and  it  was  not  long  before  the  tide  of  emigration 
poured  in  and  the  department  became  known  as  one  of 
importance. 

One  among  the  first  settlers  on  Flooding  creek  was  Mr. 
Foster  of  Hart  station.  Three  miles  from  there,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Thompson  river,  was  Mr.  William 
Pearson.  Three  miles  further  on  lived  one  Jones,  who 
possessed  an  extensive  landed  estate,  but  who  afterwards 
hung  himself,  either  in  disgust  or  as  a  relief  from  great 
mental  agony— he  possibly  suffered  because  some  of  his 
neighbors  succeeded  in  purchasing  of  the  government  for 


466  STATIONS  AND  GREAT  ESTATES. 

the  least  money,  more  acres  than  he  could.    Twelve  miles 
further  on  was  a  fine  station  of  which  a  Mr.  Johnston  was 

the  owner,  known  as  the Park,  situated  in  what  was 

called  the  town  of  Mafaru.    The  next  great  station  was 
Hayfield,  and  at  Stratford  was  another,  the  property  of 
Samuel  Swan.    These  gentlemen  are  only  here  alluded  to  as 
the  possessors  of  vast  landed  estates  in  my  own  neighbor- 
hood.   They  had  severally  succeeded  in  purchasing  from 
five  thousand  to  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land  for  one 
pound    per    acre,    which    five    years    thereafter    wrould 
readily    sell   for   ten    pounds    ( fifty    dollars  )    an    acre, 
and   now   would    readily   sell    for   from   ten   to   thirty 
pounds  per  acre.     Mr.  Pearson  now  owns  sixteen  thou- 
sand   acres   in    one   block,    which    would    quickly   com- 
mand the  last  named  prices.    A  Mr.  Smith  took  up  the 
Linitino  station,  comprising  several  miles  of  the  Mitchell 
river  flats,  having  an  area  of  several  thousand  acres  of  the 
richest  agricultural  land  in  all  Australia — much  of  it  since 
selling  for  fifty  pounds  (two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars)  an 
acre — for  hop  growing.  Where  Barnesdale  now  stands  was 
ormerly  a  portion  of  the  McLoed  station.    It  is  a  thriving 
little  town  upon  the  Mitchell  river,  five  miles  above  where 
it  empties  into  the  lakes.    It  is  at  the  head  of  lake  navi- 
gation and  also  the  present  terminus  of  the  Melbourne 
&    Gipps'  Land    railroad,  and  is  destined  to  be   one  of 
the  most  prominent  inland  towns— in  fact,  it  is  already 
known  as  the  Chicago  of  Australia.     Thus  it  may  be 
inferred  that  the  people  of  that  part  of  the  world  are  not 
ignorant  of  the  United  States,  its  cities  and  the  enterprise 
of  its  citizens.    Upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  Mitchell  river 


HORSE    ARISTOCRACY.  467 

one  Mr.  Crooks  took  up  the  Lucknow  station  and  com- 
menced breeding  horses  upon  an  extensive  scale.  He 
erected  some  thirty  miles  of  post  and  rail  fence  at  a  cost 
of  three  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  a  rod.  He  owned 
man}'  horses  that  cost  him  a  hundred  guineas  each.  It 
may,  perhaps,  not  be  generally  known*  in  this  country 
that,  in  Australia,  as  in  England,  there  is  a  horse  aristoc- 
racy that  disdains  pounds,  shillings  and  pence  in  estimat- 
ing their  price  or  value,  but  the  prices  must  be  named  in 
guineas,  like  the  fee  of  a  solicitor  or  barrister  and  the 
doctor  and  surgeon.  Besides  this  station  he  owmed  one 
other,  the  Topall.  Upon  the  two  he  was  reputed  to  own 
as  many  as  six  thousand  head  of  horses — and  there  were  no 
scrubs  among  them,  as  inferior  horses  are  there  called, 
but  most  of  them  were  among  the  most  valuable  in  the 
colonies.  Whole  "mobs,"  or  droves  of  them  have  been 
known  to  bring  as  high  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
per  head  for  the  least  valuable  ones.  On  the  Nicholson 
river,  some  eight  miles  farther  north,  Mr.  McAlister  had 
a  cattle  station.  He  came  to  Gipps'  Land  with  the  old 
pioneer,  Angis  McMillan. 

On  the  Tamba  river  is  some  of  the  finest  agri- 
cultural land  that  any  country  can  produce.  From  Flood- 
ing creek,  south  fifteen  miles  on  Meriman's  creek,  settled 
Mr.  McFarlin,  also  a  pioneer  companion  of  old  Angis  Mc- 
Millan. Sixteen  miles  west  is  the  pleasant  town  of  Rosedale, 
and  still  further  on  is  Tomgabba  and  Brangalong.  In  all 
this  country,  down  until  as  late  as  1867,  there  were  not 
more  than  one  thousand  acres  under  cultivation,  while 
now  there  is  at  least  one  million  acres,  the  very  choicest 


468  WATTLE    BARK— BARNESDALE. 

land  in  all  the  colonies  In  1871  I  knew  a  four  horse- 
power threshing  machine  start  out  on  a  threshing  tour, 
and  it  was  compelled  to  travel  over  an  area  of  thirty 
miles  square  to  keep  it  running,  while  now  over  the  same 
ground  it  requires  thirty  steam  threshers  to  thresh  the 
grain  that  is  now  grown  there.  Besides  the  grain,  there 
are  more  sheep  and  cattle  raised  upon  the  same  land 
than  there  was  before. 

The  Gipps'  Land  lakes  extend  over  seventy  miles  and 
are  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  and  navigable  for  ocean  steam 
coasters  and  coasting  schooners  trading  with  Melbourne 
and  Sydney.    The  most  of  the  surface  of  the  country  I  have 
spoken  of  is  of  a  level  nature,  and  a  great  portion  of  it 
bottom  or  river  land.    Probably  there  is  not  another  por- 
tion of  the  colony  of  the  Australian  continent  of  its  size, 
that  turns  out  so  much  wattle  bark  as  Gipps'  Land.    I 
have  known  at  least  thirty  thousand  tons  to  be  stripped 
there  in  one  year.    Sail  is  a  thriving  town  of  some  five 
thousand  inhabitants.    Barnesdale,  which  has  been  my 
place  of  residence  for  many  years,  is  not  so  large,  probably 
three  thousand.    Each  town  supports  a  public  hospital — 
and  I  would  like  to  say  here,  as  I  do  not  remember  that  I 
have  said  it  before,  that  probably  there  is  no  country  in 
the  civilized  world  that   supports  more  hospitals  than 
Australia.    The  method  the  government  adopts  is  to  give 
pound  for  pound  that  the  people  subscribe  for  such  insti- 
tutions, and  the  same  for  supporting  them  afterwards. 

The  gold  diggings  of  the  Australian  Alps  contributed 
greatly  towards  the  settlement  and  development  of  Gipps' 
Land.    The  ranges,  where  fifteen  years  ago  scarcely  a  head 


TIMBER,   STRINGY    BARK— HOUSE    BUILDING.  469 

of  cattle  could  be  seen,  are  now  grazing  their  thousands. 
Although  the  hills  are  thickly  covered  with  timber,  they 
produce  plenty  of  grass,  not,  however,  of  the  fattening 
quality,  but  bone  producing.  Cattle  are  grown  upon  the 
hill  ranges,  and  then  brought  down  into  the  flats  or  bot- 
tom lands  and  fattened  upon  the  artificial  or  cultivated 
grass.  After  having  gotten  their  growth  in  the  ranges, 
they  will  fatten  very  speedily.  We  never  think  of  fatten- 
ing a  creature  until  it  first  gets  its  growth.  There  is  not 
so  much  expense  incident  to  the  raising  of  cattle  there  as 
there  is  in  this  country,  as  we  are  never  under  the  necessity 
of  feeding  them.  Oftentimes  a  person  will  turn  out  a 
calf  after  it  is  weaned,  and  never  see  it  again  until  it  is  fit 
for  fattening  for  market,  when  from  five  to  seven  years 
later  it  is  fully  grown. 

The  timber  on  the  Gipps'  Land  hills  is  free  splitting. 
The  kind  mostly  used  for  splitting  purposes  is  the  stringy 
bark,  so  called  from  the  facility  with  which  it  can  be 
stripped  or  pulled  into  strings,  and  the  fibres  of  which  are 
twisted  into  ropes  for  horses  and  other  uses.  The  method 
of  barking  the  tree  is  to  ring  it  at  the  butt,  and  again 
eight  or  nine  feet  above,  then  split  it  down  from  one  girdle 
to  the  other,  get  the  fingers  in  and  start  it  from  the  wood. 
When  once  started,  it  will  readily  peel  around  the  body 
of  the  tree,  and  come  off  in  one  whole  sheet,  eight  feet 
long  and  from  three  to  six  feet  wide.  Take  a  long-handled 
shovel  and  strip  off  the  rough  outside  bark,  and  it  will 
resemble  a  side  of  sole  leather.  Two  men  can  strip  from 
forty  to  sixty  sheets  in  a  day,  so  it  don't  take  long  to 
strip  enough  bark  to  cover  a  house,  sides,  roof  and  all. 


470  RED  GUM  AND  CHERRY  TREES. 

I  have  known  houses  built  of  bark  in  this  way  to  last  for 
ten  or  twelve  years.  The  young  stringy  bark  trees  make  the 
best  of  poles,  and  one  can  cut  them  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  long,  as  straight  as  a  candle,  and,  if  desired,  not  more 
than  three  inches  in  diameter.  Two  men  can  go  into  the 
bush  and  strip  the  bark,  cut  the  poles  and  put  up  a  house 
inside  of  a  week,  and  a  good  tidy-looking  one  too,  and 
such  a  one  as  many  thousands  who  are  worth  their  thou- 
sands of  pounds  have  lived  in  for  years. 

The  wattle  tree  has  a  beautiful  flower,  and  the  most 
fragrant  of  any  tree  in  the  world.  As  soon  as  the  tree  is 
stripped  of  its  bark,  the  roots  will  rot,  and  in  the  course 
of  twelve  months  one  can  push  it  over,  for  the  roots  only 
run  along  the  surface  of  the  ground,  there  being  no  tap 
root.  The  wattle  grows  very  rapidly.  Ground  on  which 
all  the  trees  have  been  stripped,  in  two  years  little  saplings 
will  have  grown  into  trees  large  enough  to  strip.  So  im- 
portant has  become  the  wattle  tree,  and  so  beautiful  and 
fragrant  its  flower,  the  government  has  commenced  to 
plant  the  railroad  line  and  grounds  to  wattles,  and  has 
appointed  commissioners  to  investigate  and  see  that  the 
forest  trees  are  properly  stripped  from  the  roots  to  the 
top,  that  there  may  be  no  reckless  waste  of  the  precious 
bark. 

The  principal  wood  for  fence  posts  is  the  red  gum.  It  is 
a  timber  that  will  stand  both  water  and  weather  for  a 
time  almost  incredible.  Theboro  is  of  little  use  except  for 
fuel.  The  light-wood  is  a  very  firm,  tough  timber,  used 
for  whiffletrees  and  other  purposes  where  groat  strength 
is  required.    The  cherry  tree  is  a  very  pretty  wood,  and 


BOUNTIFUL    CROPS.  471 

one  in  this  country  will  perhaps  scarcely  believe  the  story 
when  told  that  the  stone  of  the  wild  cherry  grows  on  the 
outside— on  the  top  of  the  berry.  Corn  is  cultivated  in 
Gipps'  Land  to  a  greater  extent  than  in  any  other  place  in 
the  colonies,  except  on  the  Hunter  river  in  New  South 
Wales,  where  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  get  a  crop  of 
two  hundred  bushels  of  shelled  corn  to  the  acre.  In  Gipps' 
Land  I  have  known  oats  to  produce  ninety  bushels  to  the 
acre,  barley  one  hundred,  peas  sixty,  and  horse  beans  one 
hundred  bushels  to  the  acre.  Lindino  flat  I  have  known 
to  yield  forty-two  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre  on  an  aver- 
age; but  I  don't  wish  to  be  understood  that  this  is  the 
average  yield  in  general. 

Potatoes  yield  wonderfully  well.  I  have  seen  seventeen 
tons  produced  from  an  acre.  The  usual  price  of  wheat 
is  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  bushel,  which  is  the  highest 
price,  but  it  is  seldom  less  than  one  dollar.  Oats  never 
less  than  seventy-five  cents,  barley  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  cents,  corn,  or  maize,  as  it  is  called  there,  sixty-five  cents 
to  one  dollar.  So  one  can  readily  see  that  for  the  farmer 
that  country  is  as  good  if  not  a  little  better  than  this.  But 
then  there  is  another  consideration  less  favorable  to  farmers 
there  than  in  this  country.  Farming  tools  and  imple- 
ments are  about  three  times  the  price  there  to  what  they 
are  here,  and  then  again  the  cost  of  clearing  land  is  about 
double  what  it  is  in  this  country.  Land  can  be  obtained 
direct  from  the  government  for  one  pound  per  acre  on 
twenty  years'  time,  deferred  payments.  When  Charles 
Ganon  Dufiey's  Land  act  came  into  force  and  there  was  a 
land  election  day,  1  have  known  people  wait  in  the  yard 


472  ANSWERING   AN    ADVERTISEMENT. 

all  night  for  fear  their  names  would  be  called  and  they 
would  not  be  there  to  answer.  I  never  was  quite  so  land- 
struck  as  to  loose  any  rest  on  account  of  it.  The  first 
man  who  started  a  store  in  Barnesdale  was  F.  W.  Drever- 
man.  It  was  a  little  ten  by  twelve  place,  but  he  soon 
found  he  had  not  capital  enough  to  carry  it  on  alone,  so 
he  advertised  for  a  partner  in  the  Melbourne  papers,  and 
one  James  Cameron  saw  the  advertisement,  and  walked 
from  Melbourne  to  Barnesdale,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
miles,  to  answer  it  in  person.  They  came  to  an  agreement 
and  went  into  business  together,  and  the  partnership 
lasted  about  fifteen  years.  Both  gentlemen  remain  there 
still  and  carry  on  business.  Mr.  Dreverman  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  road  commissioners  for  many 
years,  and  no  less  than  three  times  president  of  that  hon- 
orable body,  and  is  the  president  thereof  to-day. 

Fifty  miles  southwest  on  the  road  towards  Melbourne 
is  the  Moa  country,  which  is  equally  as  rich  as  any  in 
Gipps'  Land.  I  was  about  to  say  the  richest,  but  I  am 
under  the  impression  that  I  have  used  that  word  so  often 
that  it  stands  me  in  hand  to  be  careful  now  or  I  shall  be 
brought  up  standing  by  someone,  like  the  Ethiopian 
minstrel  who,  discoursing  upon  the  geography  of  the  world 
and  the  foundation  thereof,  said  it  rested  upon  a  big  rock. 
When  questioned  upon  what  the  rock  stood,  he  said  it 
stood  upon  another  rock.  Being  further  pressed  to  know 
what  the  second  rock  stood  on,  he  requested  that  they 
bother  him  no  more,  for  it  was  rocks  all  the  way  down. 
So  it  is  with  the  Gipps'  Land  country;  it  is  all  good. 
Moa  is  the  name  of  a  river.    That  portion  of  the  country 


473 


474  TONGIA— IN    THE    MOUNTAINS. 

has  but  recently  been  settled,  and  mainly  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  Walla  and  Stringer's  Creek  reefs.  The  remain- 
ing hundred  miles  through  to  Melbourne,  although  very 
heavily  timbered,  is  of  the  very  richest  soil,  and  some  day 
when  the  land  is  cleared  it  will  be  very  line  agricultural  land. 
The  timber  being  so  near  Melbourne,  is  becoming  more 
and  more  valuable  every  day.  Returning  now  to  the 
northern  end  of  Gipps'  Land,  at  Brothing  on  the  Tamba 
river,  we  follow  it  to  its  source,  over  many  hills,  for  we 
now  have  entered  the  commencement  of  the  Australian 
Alps,  and  twelve  miles  further  on  is  the  crossing  of  the 
Tamba,  where  there  was  a  store  first  kept  by  Hutchinson 
Brothers,  since  dead ;  but  their  successor,  one  Peter  Mc- 
Dougal,  runs  a  business  at  the  old  stand.  Crossing  the 
Tamba,  we  now  commence  the  mountain  tour  in  earnest 
by  ascending  the  Shady  Creek  hill.  After  Shady  Creek  hill 
there  comes  Little  Dick,  another  dreadful  hill  to  undertake 
to  ascend  with  drays,  which  in  the  early  days  was  never 
undertaken  unless  there  were  at  least  two  drays  in  com- 
pany, when  they  would  double  their  teams  at  each  of 
those  hills.  I  have  seen  as  many  as  twenty  bullocks,  or 
ten  yoke  of  oxen,  as  we  would  say  in  this  country,  to  one 
of  those  drays.  After  Little  Dick  comes  Fainting  range, 
and  after  having  surmounted  all  these  difficulties  we 
arrive  at  Tongia,  where  there  is  a  public  house,  kept  for 
many  years  by  one  Allen  Barnes.  It  was  here  that  poor 
Green  last  stopped  before  being  murdered  for  his  gold. 
He  used  to  buy  gold  on  the  Omeo  diggings  in  the  same 
way  I  once  did,  heretofore  described.  This  particular  time 
he  started  from  Omeo  in  company  with  a  lady,  who,  by 


MURDER    OF    GREEN.  475 

the  way,  now  lives  in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  I  would 
give  her  name,  but  refrain  from  so  doing,  not  having  seen 
the  lady  since  my  return,  and  would  not  like  to  take  the 
liberty  of  doing  so  without  first  having  obtained  her 
consent.  But  I  will  assume  the  freedom  to  say  that  Mr. 
Hewett,  a  wine  and  spirit  merchant  in  that  city,  was  then 
in  Australia  and  was  at  the  time  more  familiar  with  the 
facts  relating  to  that  murder  than  myself.  Green  had 
for  safety  taken  a  policeman  with  him  as  an  escort.  Leav- 
ing Omeo  they  arrived  at  Tongia  and  were  there  joined  by 
Mr.  Harley  Dickings,  who  kept  a  store  three  miles  from  Ton- 
gia, on  Swift  creek.  He  joined  the  party  for  safety.  They 
slept  all  night  and  started  the  next  morning  in  good 
spirits,  but  had  traveled  only  about  two  miles  when,  on 
a  turn  of  the  road  at  the  top  of  a  sidling  hill,  they  were 
suddenly  fired  upon.  Green  fell  from  his  horse  wounded. 
Dickings  was  shot  in  the  shoulder  and  fell.  The  lady's 
horse  took  fright  and  jumped  a  log  and  threw  her,  so  she 
was  left  upon  the  ground  to  witness  the  bloody  scene  that 
followed.  The  policeman,  like  many  of  those  valiant 
knights,  was  carried  away  out  of  danger  by  the  flight  of 
his  horse,  so  he  was  the  only  one  of  the  party  of  four 
persons  that  was  not  more  or  less  hurt.  As  soon  as 
Green  fell,  one  of  the  murderers  sprang  upon  him  and 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  hatchet  and  killed  him  at 
once.  Dickings'  horse  ran  at  once  for  his  stable,  which 
was  not  more  than  two  miles  away,  the  lady's  horse  and 
Green's  following.  Upon  their  stampeding,  the  pack-horse 
joined  in,  carrying  all  the  gold.  Dickings  and  the  lady 
were  not  long  in  following  on  foot,  and  soon  overtook 


476  OMEO    AND    LIVINGSTONE. 

the  horses  and  drove  them  in  ahead  of  them,  gold  and 
all.  The  murderers  proved  to  be  two  young  men  that  no 
one  would  hardly  have  suspected  of  such  a  crime,  although 
rather  suspicious  characters  when  it  came  to  horse  steal- 
ing and  cattle  duffing.  Their  names  were  George  Cham- 
berlin  and  George  Armstrong.  They  were  afterwards 
convicted  of  horse  stealing,  and  while  undergoing  their 
sentence  were  tried  for  the  Green  murder  and  suffered  the 
extreme  penalty  of  the  law  in  Melbourne  jail. 

Fifteen  miles  further  on  from  Tongia  were  the  Omeo 
diggings  upon  Livingston  creek,  first  discovered  by  some 
prospectors— John  Reed,  an  American,  and  one  Jemmy 
Bloomfield,  an  Irishman  and  a  great  prospector,  one  who 
was  always  looking  out  for  the  fountain  head  where  he 
could  get  the  gold  by  the  bucketful.  One  will  always 
meet  such  men  wherever  he  goes,  but  in  all  my  experience 
of  thirty-four  years  I  never  yet  met  one  of  them  that  had 
ever  struck  the  fountain  head,  or  ever  got  the  bucketful. 
Omeo  proved  to  be  good  diggings  in  the  dry  hills.  Several 
parties  undertook  to  cut  and  bring  water  onto  the  dry  hill 
thirty  years  ago,  and  some  of  those  same  men  are  still 
working  the  same  dry  hill  and  running  the  same  water 
ditch.  The  parties  1  refer  to  are  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  George 
Hamilton  and  Duncan  McCraig.  Nearly  all  the  old  resi- 
dents of  Omeo  have  passed  away.  William  Jack,  Thomas 
Shenn  and  Joseph  Day  were  men  who  will  be  remembered 
by  everyone  that  knew  Omeo  in  the  early  diggings.  But 
the  Omeo  of  that  day  and  this  are  greatly  unlike.  Now 
Livingstone,  as  the  town  is  called,  is  in  a  valley  surrounded 
by  the  Omeo  plains,  that  have  since,  thanks  to  Sir  Charles 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF    AUSTRALIA.  477 

Ganon  Duffey,  become  exceedingly  valuable  and  are  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Time  has  wrought  changes 
among  men  there  as  elsewhere,  even  more  surprising  than 
the  changes  of  the  face  of  that  country,  and  there  is 
now  left  on  Omeo  not  more  than  six  men  who  were  there 
during  its  first  golden  days. 

As  the  object  of  this  narrative  is  to  record  personal 
experiences  and  the  events  and  happenings  incident 
thereto,  it  has  not  been  either  my  purpose  or  province  to 
write  the  history  of  the  lands  it  has  been  my  fortune  to 
visit  or  reside  in ;  but  as  I  have  said  so  much  about  my 
Gipps'  Land  home,  I  may  as  well,  for  the  benefit  of  my 
youthful  readers,  finish  this  chapter  by  giving  a  brief  his- 
torical outline  of  the  ocean  continent  which  is  now  known 
to  the  world  as  Australia.  In  recent  years,  from  Oriental 
maps  published  in  the  modern  editions  of  the  travels  of  the 
famous  Venetian,  Marco  Polo,  from  1265  to  1292,  in 
China,  or  Chathay,  as  it  was  then  called,  and  who  visited 
Japan,  Sumatra,  Borneo,  Madagascar  and  other  great 
but  nameless  lands  in  the  midst  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  in 
command  of  the  emperor's  fleet  in  that  great  exploring 
expedition,  it  is  believed  that  the  great  island  conti- 
nent of  Australia  was  embraced  in  his  discoveries.  If  so, 
he  was,  doubtless,  the  first  European  to  behold  that  land. 
However,  it  is  probable  that  Chinese  navigators  knew  of 
the  existence  of  at  least  the  northern  part  of  the  Austra- 
lian continent  at  a  very  remote  period,  for  it  is  said  they 
formed  a  settlement  on  the  island  of  Timor  not  far  from 
Cape  York,  where  they  gathered  a  dainty  for  the  Chinese 
market  known  as  the  sea-slug.    But  to  come  down  to  the 


478        SPANIARDS,  DUTCH— CAPTAIN  COOK. 

period  of  historical  certainty.  The  earliest  authentic  rec- 
ords of  the  discovery  of  any  part  of  Australia  are  Spanish. 
In  the  course  of  their  voyages  from  their  South  American 
possessions  between  1520  and  1600,  the  Spaniards  dis- 
covered several  islands  of  the  Australian  group;  and  in 
1605  Luis  Yaez  de  Torres  sighted  the  Australian  coast 
and  made  report  thereof  to  the  king  of  Spain.  This 
report  remaining  in  the  archives  unpublished,  it  was  not 
known  to  the  world  until  it  was  rediscovered  by  Captain 
Cook  in  1770.  About  the  same  time  the  Dutch  made 
voyages  of  discovery  in  the  Indian  and  Pacific  oceans,  and 
the  names  of  several  Dutch  settlements  mark  the  northern 
coast,  but  none  of  their  explorations  resulted  in  any  per- 
manent settlement.  But  England  has  reaped  the  fruits  of 
both  Spanish  and  Dutch  discoveries. 

The  Dutch  called  the  country  New  Holland  and  made 
very  unfavorable  reports  of  it,  describing  its  coasts  as 
barren,  its  waters  shallow,  and  thinly  peopled  by  cruel, 
poor  and  brutal  natives,  and  but  of  very  little  use  to  the 
great  Dutch  East  India  company.  The  island  they  had 
named  as  Van  Diemen's  Land  or  Tasmania,  the}'  pro- 
nounced as  being  the  gloomy  abode  of  "howling  evil 
spirits."  Thus  lay  the  great  island  continent  under  a 
shadow  and  cloud  until  1770,  when  Captain  James  Cook 
sailed  in  search  of  it,  after  having  visited  the  Society  isl- 
ands and  New  Zealand,  where  he  introduced  the  pig  and 
the  potato  to  the  natives,  and  where  his  memory  is  revered 
by  the  descendants  of  savage  ancestors  as  the  god  of  pigs 
and  potatoes.  From  here  he  sailed  westward  and  struck 
the  eastern  coast  of  Australia,  and  landed  on  the  eleventh 


FIRST    COLONY— BOTANY    BAY.  4?7$ 

of  April,  1770.  The  beautiful  bay  which  he  entered  and 
anchored  in,  he  named  Botany  bay,  in  honor  of  Mr.,  after- 
wards Sir  Joseph  Banks,  president  of  the  Royal  society, 
who  was  with  him,  and  who  was  captivated  with  the 
rich  and  marvelous  botanic  specimens  which  he  gathered 
upon  its  shores — the  eucalypti,  the  grass-trees  and  the 
wonderful  flowers,  the  birds  of  beautiful  plumage  and  the 
kangaroo  bounding  through  the  open  forests,  unlike  any- 
thing they  had  ever  seen  before.  He  landed  in  five  different 
places  and  made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  great  land, 
hoisting  the  English  colors  and  taking  formal  possession 
in  the  name  of  George  the  Third,  king  of  Great  Britain. 
Subsequently  the  English  government  selected  Botany- 
bay  as  a  penal  colony.  Six  hundred  and  fifty  men  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  women  were  the  first  installment  of 
these  unhappy  colonists,  sent  out  under  a  guard  of 
marines,  a  major-commandant,  twelve  subalterns,  twenty- 
four  non-commissioned  officers  and  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  rank  and  file,  with  forty  women,  their  wives.  Cap- 
tain Arthur  Phillip,  R.  N.,  was  the  first  governor.  This 
fleet  sailed  from  England  in  May,  1787,  and  was  eight 
months  making  the  voyage,  having  touched  at  Cape  de 
Verde  islands,  Rio  Janerio  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  in  January,  1788,  anchored  in  Botany  bay. 

When  these  convict  colonists  had  landed,  the  command- 
ant set  about  erecting  the  necessary  buildings,  and  then 
discovered  he  had  a  scarcity  of  competent  builders.  The 
ship  furnished  sixteen,  and  the  prisoners  twelve  carpen- 
ters, but  only  one  experienced  bricklayer  was  found 
among  the  convicts.  He,  of  course,  became  the  boss  builder, 


480  CATTLE  LOST  AND  FOUND. 

headed  a  body  of  laborers  and  built  the  governor's  house 
and  other  brick  structures.  In  the  meantime  the  governor, 
officials  and  prisoners  lived  in  tents.  At  that  time  all  the 
stock  of  that  great  continent  consisted  of  two  bulls,  five 
cows,  one  horse,  three  mares,  three  colts,  twenty-nine 
sheep,  seventy-four  pigs,  a  few  turkeys  and  geese  and 
some  hens,  which  were,  of  course,  imported  with  the 
colonists.  The  first  great  calamity  which  befell  the  colony 
was  the  loss  of  the  two  bulls  and  four  cows,  which  wan- 
dered away  and  were  lost  in  the  woods.  Five  years  later, 
when  the  governor  sent  out  hunters  to  collect  fresh 
provisions  among  the  wild  game,  they  discovered,  feeding 
in  a  rich  pasture  before  unknown  to  white  men,  a  herd 
of  sixty  cattle,  the  children  and  grand-children  of  the 
lost  animals.  So  long  had  the  governor  and  officials  lived 
on  salt  meat  that  the  news  of  the  discovery  -was  a  subject 
of  congratulations,  and  the  governor  made  a  journey  to 
the  distant  cow  pasture  to  see  the  pleasant  sight. 

The  king's  commission  for  the  establishment  of  the 
government  of  the  territory  of  New  South  Wales  was 
granted  in  February,  1788,  and  five  years  later  the  first 
church  was  established  in  a  temporary  building.  Phillip, 
the  second  governor,  retired,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gov- 
ernor Hunter  in  1795.  At  this  time,  and  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  it  is  said  that  rum  was  the  currency  and 
legal  tender  of  the  colony.  All  extra  work  was  paid  for 
in  spirits,  and  drunkenness  was  the  prevailing  vice.  All 
colonists,  bond  and  free,  were  dependent  on  the  govern- 
ment stores.  Although  a  printing-press  had  been  sent  out 
in  the  first  fleet,  they  forgot  to  send  a  printer  along  with 


FIRST    NEWSPAPER— GOVERNORS.  481 

it,  and  for  five  years  it  lay  idle  and  all  orders,  documents 
and  announcements  were  in  manuscript  or  by  the  bell- 
man. Finally  a  printer  was  discovered  among  the  con- 
victs, and  a  government  gazette  was  established.  It  was 
styled  The  Sydney  Gazette  and  New  South  Wales  Adver- 
tiser, founded  by  George  Howe,  a  prisoner,  and  published 
by  authority,  in  1803.  There  was  a  great  calamity  by 
a  flood  in  1806  in  the  Hawkesbury  river,  destroying 
almost  the  entire  crops  of  the  colony,  and  houses  and 
colonists  were  swept  away  in  a  night  and  a  great  famine 
resulted.  A  two  pound  loaf  of  bread  rose  to  five  shillings, 
and  a  bushel  of  wheat  eighty  shillings,  and  vegetables 
in  proportion.  Another  calamity  to  the  colony  the  same 
year  was  said  to  be  the  appointment  of  one  Captain  Bligh 
as  governor.  He  had  been  a  naval  captain,  a  man  of  vio- 
lent temper  and  vulgar  manners  and  speech,  played  the 
tyrant  for  a  while  until  the  people  were  aroused,  who, 
with  the  aid  of  a  military  force,  deposed  him.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Governor  Macquarie  in  1809,  who  held  the 
office  till  1821,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Thomas 
Brisbane.  Mr.  Barron  Field  was  the  first  judge  sent  to 
the  colony.  Many  expeditions  were  made  over  the  mount- 
ains, and  the  great  rivers  were  discovered  during  these 
3'ears.  The  first  chief-justice  and  attorney-general  came 
in  1824,  and  in  1829  the  first  act  to  establish  trial  by 
jury  in  civil  cases  was  passed,  and  the  Australian  college 
was  founded  the  following  year.  Polding  was  the  first 
Roman  Catholic  bishop,  and  the  Right  Rev.  W.  G.  Brough- 
ton  was  the  first  lord  bishop  of  Australia,  installed  in 
1836.    Governor  Sir  Richard  Bourke bestows  the  name  of 


482  LAW    SYSTEM— COURTS. 

Melbourne  on  the  town  laid  out  on  the  Yarra  Yarra  river 
and  returns  to  England  and  is  succeeded  by  Sir  George 
Gipps  in  1838.  Subsequent  governors  were  Sir  Charles 
Fitzroy,  Gawler,  Border  and  Earl  Grey.  In  a  former 
chapter  I  have  stated  the  creation  of  new  colonies.  Tel- 
egraph communication  with  England  opened  in  1872. 

The  legal  system  of  the  several  colonies  is  mainly 
copied  from  that  of  England.  The  supreme  court  consists 
of  a  chief  and  two  puisne  judges,  who  exercise  the  powers 
of  the  three  courts  of  queen's  bench,  common  pleas  and 
exchequer  in  England,  and  have  criminal  jurisdiction  and 
go  on  circuit  twice  a  year.  In  common  law  the  new  rules 
of  pleading  are  in  force.  One  judge  sits  in  admiralty. 
Proceedings  are  by  bill  and  answer.  One  judge  also  ex- 
ercises the  functions  pertaining  to  testimentary  disposi- 
tions, letters  of  administration,  etc.,  which  in  England  are 
performed  by  the  ecclesiastical  courts.  There  are  also 
masters  in  equity.  The  supreme  court  exercises  jurisdic- 
tion in  bankruptcy  and  insolvency.  One  of  the  judges 
presides,  exercising  powers  similar  to  the  commissioners 
in  England,  with  an  appeal  to  the  supreme  court.  Estates 
of  insolvents  are  vested  in  official  assignees.  There  is  a 
conscience  court — presided  over  by  a  single  commissioner, 
who  decides,  not  according  to  law  or  evidence,  but  ac- 
cording "to  equity  and  good  conscience,"  held  in  Mel- 
bourne and  Sydney— which  has  jurisdiction  up  to  thirty 
pounds.  Magistrates  have  absolute  jurisdiction  up  to 
ten  pounds,  and  up  to  thirty  pounds  by  mutual  consent 
in  simple  debt,  but  not  in  actions  for  damages  or  disputed 
rights  of  land.    Under  the  "Masters'  and  Servants'  Act," 


POPULATION    THEN    AND    NOW.  483 

two  magistrates  can  decide  on  disputes  as  to  wages  and 
service,  and  can  commit  a  servant  refusing  to  perform 
his  written  agreement,  and  levy  a  distress  on  the  property 
of  his  master  or  his  agent  if  wages  are  unpaid.  The  divi- 
sion of  barrister  and  attorney  is  maintained  as  in  En- 
gland. The  judges  appoint  a  board  of  examiners,  and 
admit  any  man  of  good  character  to  practice  as  a  barris- 
ter after  passing  an  examination  in  classics,  mathematics 
and  law. 

The  population  of  New  South  Wales  and  Victoria  in 
1852  was,  in  round  numbers,  about  two  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand;  now,  about  four  million. 


484  NO  LETTERS  FROM  HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Return  —  Correspondence  —  Resolve  —  Adieus— Sydney— The 
"  Zealandria  "— Sadness— Passengers  —  Auckland— Honolulu- 
Diversions  and  Entertainments— Fourth  of  July— San  Francisco 
—  Changes  — Reflections— The  Railway— Familiar  Scenery — 
Humbolt  Sink— Ogden — Cleveland— Visiting— Lo veland — See  — 
Alone  in  His  Native  Country—"  Over  the  Range." 

FROM  the  year  I  landed  in  Australia  up  to  1862  I  re- 
ceived at  intervals  letters  from  home,  but  after  that 
date  I  never  received  another  until  some  time  in  1881, 
although  I  had  written  as  usual,  yet  without  receiving 
any  answer.  Letters  from  home  having  ceased  to  come, 
I  wrote  to  almost  everyone  I  had  known  in  my  boyhood, 
but  to  no  purpose.  At  last  I  suspended  further  efforts  in 
the  matter,  but  not  without  a  feeling  of  inexpressible  sad- 
ness, yet  made  a  sort  of  half  mental  resolve  that  if  they  had 
forgotten,  or  so  far  lost  interest  in  me  as  not  to  take  the 
trouble  to  write  me  even  in  answer  to  my  letters,  I  could 
do  as  long  without  hearing  from  home  and  old  friends  as 
they  could  without  hearing  from  me.  Then  I  wrote  no 
more  for  eighteen  years,  and  neither  party  heard  from 
the  other.  I  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  hearing  from 
them,  and  supposed  that  they  had  for  all  that  length  of 
time  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  dead. 


A    LETTER    COMES    AT    LAST.  485 

One  evening  I  called  on  a  gentleman,  an  intimate  friend 
connected  with  the  public  schools,  and  he  handed  me  a 
letter  addressed  to  C.  D.  Ferguson,  saying  he  had 
instructions  that  if  it  was  not  for  me  to  return  it  to 
F.  B.  Clapp,  Melbourne.  I  told  him  that  it  was  for  me 
and  from  an  only  surviving  sister  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The 
letter  informed  me  that  my  friends  had  for  years  given  me 
up  for  dead,  never  having  heard  from  me  for  so  long  a 
time ;  that  then,  recently,  by  chance,  a  person  had  been 
met  in  Cleveland  who  had  once  been  in  Australia  and 
knew  me  there,  but  supposed  I  had  left  for  the  states 
years  before.  But  he  told  them  to  write  to  New  Zealand 
to  Cole,  Hoyt,  Cobb  &  Company,  coachers,  and  that  firm 
would  likely  know  my  whereabouts  if  alive.  She  wrote 
the  firm,  but  they  had  sold  out  and  Mr.  Cole  had  returned 
to  the  United  States,  but  Mr.  Robert  Mitchel,  who  was 
then  proprietor,  answered  her,  telling  her  that  I  had  not 
been  in  New  Zealand  for  years,  but  he  thought  I  was  still 
in  Victoria  and  a  letter  addressed  to  F.  B.  Clapp  would 
most  likely  find  me. 

She  did  as  directed,  with  the  result  I  have  already 
mentioned.  I  was  not  surprised,  though  deeply  saddened, 
to  learn  that  not  only  my  father  and  mother  had  passed 
over,  but  the  most  of  my  brothers  and  sisters  had 
followed  them.  It  is  needless  to  say  I  was  pleased  to  hear 
once  more  from  home,  and,  as  it  were,  from  beyond  the 
grave.  I  answered  that  letter  with  the  utmost  .prompt- 
ness, and  in  due  time  I  was  rewarded  with  two  or  three — 
one  of  them  informing  me  that  a  nephew,  that  was  not 
born  till  fourteen  years  after  I  had  left  home,  was  coming 


486  ARRIVAL    OF    MY    NEPHEW. 

i 

but  to  Australia  to  see  his  uncle  Charlie ;  and  sure  enough 
lie  came  according  to  the  information— the  first  of  my 
kindred  that  I  had  met  in  thirty-four  years— since  I  was  a 
boy  of  seventeen.  Of  course  I  was  glad  to  see  him,  and  I 
would  have  rejoiced  at  any  time  to  have  met  anyone  from 
the  Western  Reserve.  My  nephew  was  received  with  open 
arms  by  my  Australian  friends,  no  less  than  by  me.  An 
Irishman  was  at  the  office  when  the  telegram  came  inform- 
ing me  of  my  nephew's  arrival  in  Melbourne.  He  under- 
took to  bring  me  the  dispatch,  but  he  called  at  so  many 
places  on  the  road  over  to  inform  them  of  the  news  and  to 
celebrate  the  event  with  another  drink,  that  at  last  he  for- 
got about  the  telegram  and  came  to  me  twenty-four  hours 
later  to  know  if  I  had  received  it.  Upon  being  told  that 
I  had  not,  "Now  thin,  bejabers,  I  musht  have  lost  it;  but 
niver  mind,"  said  he,  "as  he  has  come  so  far  already  he 
won't  turn  back  now  without  seeingyou,  so  there  won't  be 
much  harm  done." 

Of  course  I  endeavored  to  post  my  nephew  in  the 
mysteries  of  Australia,  and  was  pleased  to  find  that  he 
would  be  likely  to  make  quite  as  apt  a  scholar 
as  his  venerable  uncle.  There  were  not  many  places 
in  Australia  he  did  not  see,  and  not  many  of  my 
acquaintances  that  he  was  not  introduced  to,  and 
they  declared  him  a  fac-simile  of  his  uncle.  I  think 
this  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  felt  thoroughly 
homesick,  and  to  cap  the  climax  I  received  a  letter  from 
my  sister  in  answer  to  one  I  had  written  her,  saying  I 
thought  I  should  never  return  to  America;  that  I  had 
settled  down  and  was  now  growing  old ;  that  Australia 


DETERMINES    TO    RETURN.  487 

was  my  adopted  home,  and  there  I  would  be  likely  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  my  days.  She  wrote  in  reply  that 
she  had  always  hoped  to  see  me  once  more;  how  dis- 
appointed she  was ;  and  at  the  close  bade  me  a  final  fare- 
well in  this  world,  and  hoped  to  meet  me  in  the  next, 
where  partings  never  come. 

Now,  according  to  the  old  orthodox  theory,  there  are 
two  distinct  countries  in  the  hereafter  to  which  weary  pil- 
grims of  this  world  are  said  to  be  traveling,  and  having 
been  so  long  separated  and  so  far  away  from  my  sister, 
and  not  being  sure  that  the  track  I  had  taken  would  lead 
me  to  her  celestial  abode,  I  concluded  I  would  go  home 
and  ascertain  the  track  she  is  on  and  the  route  she  is  tak- 
ing, that  we  might  mutually  consider  and  determine  in  our 
minds  touching  the  probabilities  of  a  near  neighborly  ex- 
istence in  the  world  of  spirits.  Upon  finishing  the  letter  I 
said  to  some  friends  present,  "I  am  going  to  America. " 
"Going  where?"  said  three  or  four  at  once.  "To  America," 
I  answered.  "0,  yes,  we  see  you  going;  you  have  been 
going  so  many  times."  "  But  I  am  going  this  time,"  said 
I.  "We  will  believe  it  when  we  see  you  start."  "Well, 
that  will  be  soon,"  I  said.  I  got  onto  my  horse  and  went 
to  Barnesdale,  and  began  to  make  arrangements  for  being 
absent  some  time.  This  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  me, 
and  not  much  notice  was  taken  of  it  until  someone  asked 
where  Ferguson  was  going  this  time.  On  being  informed, 
no  one  would  believe  it.  I  had  made  three  attempts  be- 
fore and  failed.  This  time  I  was  determined  to  go  or  give 
it  up  forever.  Then  I  knew  if  I  did  not  go  I  would  never 
hear  the  last  of  it  from  my  friends.    This  was  on  Tuesday, 


488  PARTING    GLASSES. 

and  on  Friday  morning  I  left  for  Melbourne.  My  friends 
there  were  equally  surprised,  but  thought,  as  did  the  rest, 
I  would  get  no  further  than  Sydney.  However,  they  con- 
cluded to  see  me  off  in  the  usual  way — the  Scotch  way — 
parting  glasses.  The  consequence  was  my  friends  became  so 
near-sighted  they  never  noticed  that  I  went  upon  one  train 
one  way  and  my  luggage  upon  another  train,  in  an  opposite 
direction.  In  fact,  I  was  so  overcome  with  my  feelings  that 
I  did  not  find  out  the  mistake  until  reaching  Albura,  where 
I  was  obliged  to  layover  two  days  for  the  railroad  officials 
to  look  up  my  luggage.  From  there  I  took  the  rail  to 
Sydney,  arriving  there  some  ten  days  before  the  steamer 
sailed. 

I  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  look  around  the 
city  and  contemplate  the  changes  that  had  taken  place 
since  the  day  I  first  set  foot  upon  the  Australian  shore. 
Progress,  improvement,  wealth  and  social  institutions 
were  manifest  everywhere  in  the  colony  of  which  Sydney  is 
the  capital  city.  Upon  my  arrival  thirty  years  before,  its 
population  was  only  about  fifty  thousand,  while  now  the 
census  credits  it  with  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand. Melbourne  now  was  as  large  as  Sydney,  while  it 
boasted  of  but  twenty-five  thousand  when  I  first  landed 
there;  besides,  there  are  more  than  twenty  cities  whose 
population  is  counted  from  twenty  to  sixty  thousand, 
many  of  which  had  no  existence  when  I  came,  and  "  the 
sound  of  the  church-going  bell"  had  never  floated  on  the 
air  where  now  it  calls  its  thousands  of  worshipers. 

A  line  of  splendid  ocean  steamers  was  now  plying^ 
monthly  between  Sydney  and  San  Francisco.    Upon  one 


490  PASSAGE  SECURED — SADNESS, 

of  these  I  secured  cabin  passage  to  'Frisco,  the  price  being 
two  hundred  and  ten  dollars— the  Zealandria,  Captain 
Webber.  I  cannot  this  moment  recall  the  name  of  the 
first  officer.  The  second  was  William  C.  Tyler;  purser, 
McDonald.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  record  the  kindness,  civility 
and  gentlemanly  bearing  of  the  commander  and  officers 
of  the  noble  steam-ship  Zealandria,  and  a  more  pleasant 
and  agreeable  multitude  of  passengers  never  paced  the 
deck  or  graced  the  salons  of  an  ocean  steamer  than  those 
!  of  the  Zealandria. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  June,  1883,  the  steamer  sailed.  Had 
I  remained  about  a  month  longer  I  should  have  completed 
just  thirty-one  years'  residence  in  the  colonies.  Those 
who  have  read  Byron's  " Lisbon  Packet"  will  need  no  de- 
scription of  the  getting  ready  of  a  ship  and  the  embarking. 
That  tells  the  true  story  of  the  outset  of  every  voyage.  It 
is  a  poetic  photograph. 

I  think  I  never  felt  so  downcast,  gloomy  and  sad  in  all 
my  life  as  upon  that  afternoon  when  we  sailed  out  of 
Port  Jackson  bay.  I  was  leaving  all  my  acquaintances  of 
the  last  thirty  years.  To  be  sure  I  was  returning  to  my 
native  land,  but  I  had  been  so  long  gone  from  it  I  felt  I 
was  going  among  strangers,  where  none  would  know  or 
remember  me,  even  in  the  place  where  I  was  born ;  where 
in  my  youth  I  had  many  friends,  but  all  now,  perhaps,  in 
the  silent  land  or  scattered  abroad  on  the  earth.  Then, 
too,  for  an  uncertainty  of  recognition  in  the  vicinity  of  my 
old  home,  or  of  meeting  either  kith  or  kin,  or  girl  or  boy, 
with  whom  I  conned  the  primary  lessons  in  the  humble 
little  school-house,  I  was  leaving  the  many  and  all  the 


MEETS    RICHMOND    AT    AUCKLAND.  491 

friends  of  my  mature  life,  acquired  by  long  residence  in  my 
adopted  country.  Only  one  pleasing  reflection  came  to 
cheer  my  gloomy  spirit,  and  that  was  that  I  was  not  leav- 
ing a  single  enemy. 

There  were  some  one  hundred  and  sixty  cabin  passen- 
gers, most  of  them  on  their  way  to  England,  many  upon 
a  return  visit  to  their  native  home  and  childhood  scenes ; 
others  born  in  the  colonies,  now  upon  a  visit  to  the  land 
of  their  fathers ;  some  to  finish  their  education,  others  for 
pleasure. 

There  was  a  gentleman  and  his  wife  among  the  passen- 
gers, Dr.  Tucker,  who  was  commissioned  by  the  govern- 
ment to  examine  and  report  upon  the  insane  institutions 
of  Europe  and  America.  He  was  expecting  to  be  absent 
some  three  years.  We  called  at  Auckland,  New  Zealand, 
for  the  mails.  I  thought  I  would  go  ashore  and  sleep  for 
the  night,  little  thinking  of  meeting  anyone  I  had  ever 
met  before.  I  went  to  a  first-class  hotel  for  my  lodging. 
The  landlord  turned  the  register  around,  and  as  soon  as  he 
saw  the  name,  he  said,  "I  don't  know  you,  but  I  heard 
one  of  the  same  name  talked  about  much  only  last  night." 
I  asked  who  the  party  was.  He  said,  "Will  Carter  and 
Harry  Richmond."  "Where  are  they?"  I  asked.  "I  can 
take  you  to  Harry  in  two  minutes,"  said  he.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  I  availed  myself  of  his  suggestion.  Before 
starting  the  landlord  gave  me  back  my  money,  saying  that 
if  I  got  with  Harry  I  would  not  return  there  that  night. 
Richmond  was  the  one  who  started  me  when  I  first 
entered  Gabriel's  gully,  some  eighteen  years  before.  I 
found   him,  and   think    I   can  justly  say  that    he   was 


492         THE  "zealandria"  vs.  the  "DON  JUAN." 

equally  rejoiced  to  see  me  as  I  was  to  see  him.  We  did  not 
retire  that  night,  as  the  ship  sailed  early  the  next  day,  and 
we  had  eighteen  years  of  notes  to  overhaul  and  compare, 
which  took  us  all  night.  Carter  had  gone  up  the  country 
that  morning  and  I  did  not  see  him.  He  went  with  me  to 
New  Zealand  on  the  first  trip  and  had  remained  there.  He 
was  a  Canadian  from  near  Montreal,  and  one  of  the  best 
natured  and  jolliest  fellows  that  ever  lived.  He  was  a  stal- 
wart fellow,  six  feet  and  one  inch,  built  in  proportion, 
always  laughing,  and  had  a  heart  just  a  little  bigger  than 
a  bullock's. 

We  had  quite  an  accession  of  passengers  from  Auckland. 
Among  all,  however,  there  was  only  myself  and  one  other 
American  on  the  steamer  who  had  been  out  in  the  colonies 
for  any  considerable  length  of  time.  From  Auckland  to 
Honolulu  we  were  about  eleven  days.  Here  we  called  for 
twenty-four  hours,  and  in  that  time  took  aboard  over 
eight  hundred  tons  of  sugar  and  other  products  of  the 
Sandwich  islands  for  the  'Frisco  market.  The  trip  from 
there  to  San  Francisco  occupied  eleven  days  more,  making 
in  all  twenty-three  days  sailing,  and  two  days  in  port,  and 
I  think  I  can  truly  say  I  never  spent  the  same  length  of 
time  more  pleasantly.  I  did  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  con- 
trast between  the  magnificent  Zealandria,  its  officers  and 
passengers,  and  the  leaky  and  unseaworthy  old  tub,  Don 
Juan,  its  motley  conglomeration  of  disagreeable  passen- 
gers and  Van  Diemen  convicts,  and  the  misery  and  suffer- 
ing endured  in  the  outward  voyage  of  thirty  }'ears  before. 

Honolulu  is  quite  a  stirring  business  city.  The  people 
are  about  equally  divided,  Americans  and  all  other  nation- 


HONOLULU— AMUSEMEMTS.  493 

alities  mixed.  If  there  is  any  preponderance,  it  is  on  the 
side  of  the  Americans.  There  is  always  a  multitude  of 
canaca,  or  native  women,  gathered  upon  the  wharf  when 
a  ship  comes  in,  peddling  their  wares  and  trinkets,  princi- 
pally consisting  of  little  beads  strung  and  worked  into 
baskets,  neckties  and  tassels— of  no  use— mere  novelties. 
They  usually  drive  a  pretty  profitable  trade  among  the 
passengers  of  the  great  steamers  that  arrive  in  por .  One 
would  think  that  a  journey  at  sea,  extending  nearly 
around  the  globe,  would  become  monotonous  and  tiresome, 
"but  it  was  not  so  with  me  and  did  not  seem  to  be  so  with 
the  others,  for  we  had  the  best  of  officers  and  every  luxury 
one  could  expect  at  sea,  and,  moreover,  as  agreeable  a  class 
of  passengers  as  one  could  desire.  There  was  never  a  day 
but  some  entertainment  was  devised  and  put  in  progress 
to  lessen  the  monotony  of  the  journey ;  besides,  the  new 
accession  of  passengers  at  the  ports  is  looked  forward  to 
with  animated  interest,  which  helps  to  shorten  time  and 
distance. 

There  was  scarcely  an  evening  but  some  entertainment 
was  in  progress  in  the  cabin— Shakesperian  readings  one 
night,  dancing  the  next,  and  theatricals  the  third,  lectures 
the  fourth,  and  so  on— something  continually.  There  was 
a  Mr.  Ballard  and  his  daughter.  The  young  lady  was 
very  seasick.  The  father  was  a  kind  but  thought- 
less man,  and  often  left  the  poor  girl  to  care  for  herself. 
I  pitied  her  and  sometimes  would  sit  down  by  her  under 
the  awning  and  read  to  her,  and  at  other  times  tell  her 
Indian  stories,  not  thinking  anyone  else  aboard  the  ship 
was  listening  to  them.    One  evening  there  had  been  an 


494  CABIN    REHEARSAL. 

attempt  at  readings  which  for  some  cause  had  proved  a 
failure,  when  to  my  surprise  I  was  called  upon  to  give 
the  company  an  account  of  some  of  my  adventures 
among  the  Indians.  I  was  taken  wholly  by  surprise,  for 
I  did  not  know  there  was  anyone  but  little  Miss 
Ballard  that  knew  I  had  ever  seen  an  Indian.  I  begged 
to  be  excused,  but  it  was  of  no  use,  I  had  to  hold  forth. 
I  had,  however,  the  usual  sore  throat  and  bad  cold  of  an 
operatic  prima-donna  when  she  discovers  that  the  receipts, 
at  the  ticket  office  are  not  up  to  her  expectations,  but 
promised  if  they  would  let  me  off  that  evening  I  would 
appear  before  the  curtain  some  other  night  when  free  of 
my  unhappy  malady.  The  next  day  I  noticed  an  unusual 
amount  of  enquiry  among  the  lady  passengers  regarding 
my  health,  but  never  mistrusted  the  reason  of  their 
anxiety  until  evening,  when  I  was  waited  upon  by  a 
deputation  of  ladies  sent  to  escort  me  to  the  cabin  to 
fulfill  my  promised  engagement.  Remonstrances  were 
unavailing,  so  I  submitted  as  meekly  as  a  lamb  led  to  the 
slaughter,  and  they  rung  up  the  curtain.  The  first  evening 
I  gave  them  an  hour's  rehearsal  of  events  from  my  leaving 
Ohio,  taking  my  audience  with  me  in  imagination  across 
the  mountains,  deserts  and  plains,  and  landing  them  in 
California.  The  next  evening  I  took  them  through  the 
mining  camps,  over  the  bars,  through  the  streams,  into 
the  gulches,  over  the  divides,  rocked  the  cradle  and 
"panned  out"  for  their  entertainment  as  well  as  I  could, 
took  them  across  the  Pacific  ocean  and  landed  them  safely 
in  Sydney.  The  third  evening  I  gave  them  the  Ballarat 
war,  the  exploring  expedition,  the  gold  fields,  and  some- 


495 


496  "SWEEPS"— FOURTH    OF  JULY. 

thing  of  many  other  events  and  personal  experiences  in 
Australia.  They  complimented  me  by  declaring  that  I 
was  the  legitimate  successor  of  Marco  Polo  and  Sir  John 
Mandeville,  and  congratulated  me  on  my  happy  return 
to  my  native  land  and  the  scenes  of  my  childhood  after 
the  lapse  of  a  full  and  complete  generation  of  time.  It 
had  been  a  pleasant  and  excitable  daily  diversion  to  get 
tip  what  was  called  a  •' sweep,"  an  estimate  or  guess  on 
the  distance  the  ship  would  make.  This  occupied  the  fore 
part  of  the  day,  when  the  captain  would  adjust  his  as- 
tronomical instruments  for  an  observation  and  then  make 
bis  mathematical  calculations,  and  the  officer  would  post 
up  the  results  for  the  inspection  of  the  passengers.  In 
this  little  game  of  guessing  my  usual  good  luck  followed 
me,  for  I  don't  think  there  was  a  passenger  that  won  more 
pools  than  I  did.  The  fourth  of  July  came  around,  and 
although  an  English  ship,  sailing  under  the  colors  of  her 
majesty's  government,  the  captain  set  up  the  champagne, 
and  the  Queen  and  the  President,  England  and  the  United 
States  were  toasted,  and  many  loyal,  patriotic,  compli- 
mentary and  friendly  speeches  were  made  and  bumpers 
were  drank  to  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  Zealandria. 
There  was  one  missionary  among  the  passengers,  a  Mr. 
Taylor  from  Chardon,  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  who  had  been 
out  some  three  years  to  the  Nelson  islands,  had  buried  his 
wife  there,  and  was  now  taking  his  three  little  children 
home,  the  oldest  about  five  years,  and  the  youngest  only 
about  nine  months,  and  he  performed  the  office  of  mother 
to  the  little  ones  most  affectionately  and  wonderfully 
well. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  AGAIN— REFLECTIONS.       497 

At  last,  on  the  eleventh  day  of  July,  we  entered  the 
Golden  Gate  Heads,  between  which  I  had  sailed  out  into 
the  broad  Pacific  thirty-one  years  before.  0  how  little 
did  I  think  there  would  or  could  be  so  many  and  such 
wonderful  changes  in  San  Francisco!  They  were  beyond 
contemplation  or  the  imagination  to  picture.  I  took 
rooms  at  the  Palace  hotel,  built  upon  the  very  ground 
where  I  once  knew  only  a  mountain  of  sand.  It  was 
almost  impossible  to  recognize  any  of  the  old  places,  only 
a  small  portion  of  Montgomery  street.  I  looked  for  a 
long  time  before  I  could  make  out  Pacific  and  Long 
wharves,  but , at  last  found  them.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
the  Zealandria,  the  purser  told  the  reporters  of  the 
return  of  an  old  ' 'forty-niner"  after  an  absence  of  over 
thirty  years,  and  it  was  not  long  before  my  table  was 
covered  with  reporters'  notes  asking  when  they  could 
have  an  interview.  But  I  was  not  made  that  way;  I 
had  started  for  home,  was  bound  to  hasten  there,  had 
nothing  to  report  and  did  not  wish  to  be  interviewed. 

And  now  while  wandering  amazed  and  bewildered  in 
the  streets  of  the  magnificent  city,  finding  but  a  few  recog- 
nizable familiar  points,  my  mind  reverted  to  the  times  and 
scenes  of  a  former  generation,  and  pondered  upon  some 
well-remembered  names  who  helped  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  that  goodly  city  and  the  Golden  state  of  the  Pacific 
coast.  The  vigilance  committee,  where  were  they  ?  All  or 
nearly  all  had  passed  away.  Where  were  the  statesmen 
who  !iad  been  instrumental  in  raising  the  golden  territory 
into  the  most  poetical  and  fascinating  state  over  which 
floats  the    emblem  of    our   nationality?      Fremont,  its 


498  MEMORIES    OF    THE    DEAD. 

pioneer,  path-finder  and  first  senator,  still  lives,  and  nis. 
last  breath  is  destined  to  float  on  the  genial  and  balmy 
air  of  the  state  which  he,  of  all  other  men,  did  most  to 
make  known  to  his  country  and  to  the  world.  His  able 
but  less  loved  and  remembered  colleague,  Senator  Gwin, 
long  since  ended  his  ambitious  career  in  the  grave.  Broad- 
erick  had  fallen  in  a  duel.  Landor  had  died  upon  the  field 
of  battle  in  the  civil  war.  McDougal,  the  admired,  the 
honored  and  the  deplored,  had  found  a  grave  in  his  native 
state  of  New  York.  The  brilliant  lawyer  and  popular 
gentleman,  Elisha  H.  Allen,  had  emigrated  to  the  Sand- 
wich islands,  had  become  chancelor  and  prime  minister  of 
the  kingdom,  returned  as  ambassador  to  the  United  States, 
and  died  at  Washington.  The  famous  Colonel  Jack  Hayes 
of  the  Texas  Rangers  was  here  elected  sheriff  in  1850,  the 
first  under  the  state  constitution,  Colonel  Bryant,  owner 
of  the  Bryant  House  on  Ward  street,  being  the  opposing 
candidate.  Andrew  Subblette,  a  former  sheriff,  brother  of 
the  famous  trapper,  William  Subblette,  whose  name  is 
given  to  the  "Cut-off"  mentioned  by  all  travelers  across 
the  plains,  and  linked  with  those  of  Bridger,  Walker  and 
others  equally  famous  in  the  annals  of  early  California 
immigration,  long  since  passed  away  with  all  his  contem- 
porary pioneers.  Thomas  Butler  King  was  early  on  the 
ground  with  bright  political  hopes  and  prospects  which  he 
never  lived  to  realize.  Thomas  Star  King,  the  beloved  and 
accomplished  Unitarian  clergyman,  ministered  there,  and 
there  I  think  he  entered  upon  his  final  rest.  Last  but  not 
least,  there  flitted  across  my  mind  the  memory  of  one  far 
more  interesting  and  beloved  than  the  memory  of  states- 


MRS.   OSGOOD.  499 

men  and  politicians — Frances  B.  Osgood,  whose  sweet 
poems  in  early  years  graced  the  pages  of  school  books. 
Her  husband  was,  I  think,  a  clergyman — herself  an  invalid, 
and  she  came  there  to  die.  When  her  attendant  for  the  last 
time  smoothed  her  beautiful  locks  and  placed  a  new  white 
cap  upon  her  head,  her  husband  was  called  to  her  bedside. 
Her  hands  were  delicately  white  and  her  face  had  an  un- 
earthly paleness,  but  her  eyes  were  spiritually  bright.  She 
drew  her  husband's  face  close  to  hers  and  faintly  whispered 
her  last  sweet  poem  in  his  ear — "I've  something  sweet  to 
tell  you" — the  burden  of  which  was  expressed  in  the  last 
line  of  each  of  the  four  stanzas— "  I  love  you"— then  sank 
upon  her  pillow  and  died. 

So  pleasant  had  been  the  voyage  of  the  Zealandria  and 
so  agreeable  and  social  its  passengers,  I  had  never  felt  any 
impatient  anxiety  about  getting  home  since  leaving  Syd- 
ne}r,  until  we  entered  the  beautiful  bay  of  San  Francisco. 
Then  it  seemed  to  me  I  could  not  wait  to  get  my  luggage 
through  the  custom-house.  Before  leaving  I  had  some 
twenty-four  hours  spare  time,  which  I  spent  in  taking  a 
view  of  the  city,  having  in  the  meantime  purchased  my 
ticket  by  rail  through  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  I  was  impressed 
with  the  wonderful  change  and  the  improvements  the 
golden  city  had  made  since  I  was  there  thirty  years  before. 
Then  we  crossed  the  bay  to  what  is  now  the  city  of  Oak- 
land, in  something  like  a  w  Je-boat,  but  now  the  ferry- 
boat is  like  unto  a  floating  city.  At  Oakland  I  boarded 
the  Union  Pacific  train.  Again,  I  was  taken  all  aback 
with  wonder  and  surprise  at  Benecia  bay,  to  see  the  whole 
train    of   twenty   cars    and    two    locomotives    deliber- 


0 


500  SINK    OF    THE    HUMBOLT— OGDEN. 

ately  run  onto  a  ferry-boat  and  push  for  the  opposite 
shore,  at  the  rate,  at  least,  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  I  now 
turned  into  my  berth  in  the  sleeping-car,  but  was  up  early 
the  next  morning,  taking  in  the  mountain  scenery.  We 
breakfasted  at  Truckee.  My  interest  in  scenery,  however 
grand,  was  not  very  lively,  as  I  had  long  been  surfeited 
with  nature's  grandeurs,  both  here  and  elsewhere,  and  I 
little  expected  that  the  road  had  been  laid  over  any  part 
of  the  route  over  which  I  had  toiled  and  suffered  long  years 
before.  I  was  sitting  and  gazing  out  of  the  car  window, 
when  suddenly  there  was  presented  before  me  a  scene  per- 
fectly familiar.  I  jumped  to  my  feet  and  went  to  the  con- 
ductor and  asked  him  if  that  was  the  Humbolt  sink.  He 
said  it  was.  I  knew  it  at  once.  There  lay  before  me,  in 
full  view,  the  hills  and  the  track  we  had  taken  that  night 
when  our  party  had  taken  the  wrong  road,  which  proved 
so  fatal  to  many  poor  fellows.  The  whole  scene  rushed 
back  upon  my  memory  as  plainly  as  if  it  had  happened 
only  the  week  before,  and  many  were  the  sorrowful  reflec- 
tions of  that  day.  I  stood  upon  the  platform  from  that 
time  out,  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  now  passing  one 
place,  then  another,  perfectly  familiar  ground.  It  may  be 
thought  incredible,  but  they  were  all  fresh  in  my  memory. 
At  Ogden,  thirty-eight  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City,  we 
breakfasted  and  changed  cars.  The  train  stopping  two 
hours  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  look  around.  Here  was 
where  we  met  our  first  calamity,  in  the  death,  by  accident^ 
of  a  comrade.  I  wandered  out  to  the  place  where  we 
buried  the  poor  boy.  I  did  not  go  down  to  Salt  Lake,  as  I 
was  so  anxious  to  get  home.    I  was  now  counting  the 


ARRIVAL    AT    CLEVELAND.  501 

hours.  How  strange  it  is  that  one  can  remain  away  for 
years  with  thoughtlessness,  if  not  indifference,  but  when 
he  finds  himself  on  the  road  home,  the  nearer  he  approaches 
it  the  less  can  he  content  himself  from  hour  to  hour  and 
from  moment  to  moment.  It  was  so  with  me.  I  spent 
nearly  all  the  time  on  the  platform,  for  now  we  were  trav- 
eling over  the  same  part  of  the  country  I  had  passed  over 
on  my  journey  out.  I  left  San  Francisco  at  five  o'clock, 
p.m.,  and  arrived  in  Cleveland  the  following  Tuesday 
morning,  having  accomplished  the  journey  in  less  than  five 
days.  When,  thirty-four  years  before,  I  crossed,  it  took  over 
three  months  to  accomplish  only  about  one-half  the  dis- 
tance— that  is,  west  of  the  Missouri  river — the  first  being 
accomplished  under  indescribable  hardships,  privations 
and  sufferings,  and  death  to  many,  and  the  last  attended 
by  ease,  comfort,  luxuries,  palace  cars  and  Pullman  sleepers. 
Upon  arriving  at  San  Francisco  I  sent  a  dispatch  to 
Cleveland,  without  signature,  dated  at  the  Palace  hotel, 
merely  saying  that  C.  D.  Ferguson  had  arrived  by  the 
Zealandria.  I  sent  another  from  Chicago,  saying  I  would 
be  in  Cleveland  that  night.  This  was  all  the  notice  my 
friends  had  of  my  coming ;  however,  as  short  as  it  was,  I 
was  met  at  the  depot.  Thus  having  left  Cleveland  on  the 
second  of  September,  1849,  I  had  returned  to  the  place 
whence  I  started,  on  the  seventeenth  of  July,  1883. 
I  had  left  an  impetuous,  inconsiderate,  beardless  boy  of 
seventeen  years  and  returned  a  gray-bearded  and  bald- 
headed  man  of  fifty,  to  find  that  my  father  and  mother 
had  long  since  passed  over  to  the  other  shore,  whence 
no  traveler  returns;  that  two  brothers  and  four  sisters 


502  MEETING    WITH    SHERB. 

had  joined  them;  that  of  a  once  large  family  of  children, 
only  three  brothers  and  a  sister  remain. 

I  stopped  in  Cleveland  but  a  few  days  and  then  hastened 
to  Farmington,  t,he  old  home  of  my  boyhood,  and  was 
happily  disappointed  in  finding  quite  a  number  of  early 
friends.  Here  lives  my  great,  good  friend  of  California  and 
Australia  companionship,  a  faithful  friend  under  all  cir- 
cumstances and  in  all  places,  whose  name  has  become 
familiar  to  the  reader  of  these  pages,  S.  H.  Loveland. 
My  brother  drove  me  over  to  call  on  him.  I  discovered 
him  in  the  field  a  little  distance  from  his  house.  I  told 
my  brother  to  remain  in  the  carriage  until  I  ascertained  if 
Sherb  would  know  me.  He  was  at  work  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  where  I  got  over  the  fence  into  the  field.  As  I 
advanced  he  watched  me  until  I  had  approached  to  within 
about  thirty  yards,  when  he  dropped  his  pitchfork  and 
exclaimed,  "111  go  to  grass  if  that  isn't  Charlie  Ferguson !" 
After  our  first  mutual  greetings  I  asked  him  how  he  knew 
me.  He  told  me  that  from  my  movement  and  the  way  I 
jumped  off  the  fence,  he  said  to  himself  if  I  was  living  he 
would  swear  it  was  I.  All  had  supposed  me  dead  for  the 
last  twenty  years.  Then  I  went  to  see  my  old  friend  and 
playmate,  M.  W.  Griffith,  whom  we  had  left  in  San  Fran- 
cisco when  we  embarked  for  Australia  on  the  Don  Juan.  I 
cannot  express  on  paper  the  great  and  exciting  interest 
and  pleasure  in  these  meetings  of  old  companions.  I  can, 
however,  safely  say  that  our  joys  were  mutual,  and  it 
would  be  hard  to  tell  whose  spirits  rose  to  the  higher  pitch 
of  exalted  joy.  It  would  require  the  invention  of  a  more 
delicately  sensitive  thermometer  to  declare  if  there  was  a 


503 

preponderance.  I  remained  in  Farmington  some  three 
"weeks,  visiting  among  old  acquaintances,  especially  such 
as  remained  of  the  old  people  that  had  been  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  of  my  father  and  mother.  It  seemed  a 
pleasure  to  those  good  old  people,  and  surely  it  was 
gratifying  to  me— to  them  that  the  boy  had  not  forgotten 
them ;  to  me  that  they  remembered  the  boy.  One  dear  old 
lady,  who  used  to  be  a  great  friend  of  my  mother,  sent  for 
me.  I  went  and  conversed  with  her  for  a  pretty  good 
length  of  time.  As  I  left  I  had  to  go  some  three  hundred 
yards  to  where  I  hitched  my  horse.  Just  as  I  was  getting 
into  the  buggy,  a  little  boy  came  running  down  to  me  and 
said,  "  If  you  please,  grandma  would  like  to  speak  to  you." 
So  I  went  back  to  the  old  lady.  She  wanted  to  know  if  I 
ever  smoked.  I  told  her  I  did.  She  said  she  forgot  to 
inquire.  "Now,"  said  she,  "I  want  you  to  fill  your  pipe 
and  sit  down  in  front  of  me  and  have  one  good  old  smoke 
for  your  mother."  Poor,  dear,  old  friend  of  my  mother! 
She  sat  and  smoked,  talked  and  laughed  and  cried,  nearly 
at  the  same  time,  and  when  I  finally  bade  her  good-by  she 
said  it  was  the  happiest  afternoon  she  had  spent  for  years. 
I  now  turned  back  to  Illinois.  Some  of  my  youthful 
companions  had  grown  to  manhood  during  my  absence 
and  had  moved  west.  They,  knowing  I  had  returned, 
invited  me  to  visit  them  at  Joliet  and  Gardner.  While 
there  I  learned  that  John  See  was  still  alive  and  living  not 
far  from  Somonauk.  I  took  the  train  one  day  and  went  to 
see  poor  old  John.  I  got  a  livery  to  take  me  across  to  the 
town  where  he  lives,  the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten. 
It  was  upon  a  Sunday.    I  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  his 


504  JOHN    SEE. 

place  in  the  little  village.  Upon  a  porch  in  front  of  a  little 
cottage,  sat  a  feeble,  gray-headed,  old  man,  and  an  old 
lady,  his  wife.  I  approached  in  a  familiar  way  and  said, 
' 'Good-day,  John— good-day,  Mrs.  See."  They  shook 
hands  with  me  as  freely  as  if  I  had  been  one  of  their  near- 
est neighbors.  John  looked  at  me  some  time  with  his  sharp, 
black  eyes,  and  at  last  said,  "I  think  you  have  the  advan- 
tage of  me;  I  can't  call  you  to  mind."  "What!"  said  I, 
"have  you  forgotten  your  old  friends ?  You  ought  not  to 
have  forgotten  me,  John,  I  crossed  the  plains  with  you." 
"0  no,"  said  he,  "you  are  mistaken  about  that;  they  are 
all  dead  that  crossed  the  plains  with  me."  "No,  John," 
said  I,  "they  are  not  all  dead;  you  are  mistaken."  "O 
no,  I  am  not."  I  asked  what  had  become  of  Martin 
Costler.  "0  Martin  came  back  poor  a  few  years  ago,  and 
went  to  Indiana  and  died  there,  and  that  leaves  me  the 
only  one  left."  "I  think  you  are  mistaken,  John,"  said  I, 
"there  is  one  other.  Where  is  Charlie  Ferguson?"  "He 
went  from  California  to  Australia  and  died  there.  Many 
times  I  have  talked  with  the  doctor  (my  brother)  about 
that  boy.  I  used  to  tell  the  doctor  although  he  was  only  a 
boy  of  seventeen,  he  was  like  a  man  of  twenty-seven." 
Said  I,  "John,  you  are  mistaken ;  Charlie  is  not  dead ;  I  am 
Charlie."  It  took  a  long  time  to  convince  him  that  he 
was  not  really  dreaming. 

At  last,  when  he  got  his  mind  to  bear  upon  the  matter, 
he  laughed  and  then  cried,  and  finally  sent  the  old  lady  to 
call  in  the  neighbors  and  tell  them  that  the  seventeen  year 
old  boy  that  crossed  the  plains  with  him  was  not  dead, 
but  was  there — come  to  see  him  once  more.     The  poor  old 


REPUTATION  AS  A  SHARP  SHOOTER.        505 

man  was  seventy-two  years  old,  had  had  a  stroke  of 
paralysis,  and  could  only  totter  around  upon  a  staff.  I 
don't  think  I  ever  saw  a  man  more  rejoiced.  He  got  all 
his  neighbors  in  and  wanted  me  to  relate  all  the  particulars 
of  our  journey,  as  he  had  forgotten  some  of  them,  he  said. 
Pretty  soon  he  gathered  himself  up  and  tottered  off  into 
another  room,  but  presently  appeared  bringing  an  old  gun. 
"Charlie,"  said  he,  "I  want  you  to  tell  the  people  how  far 
you  killed  a  buffalo  with  that  gun."  "I  don't  know,  John," 
said  I,  "it  was  a  long  shot.  It  must  have  been  three  hundred 
yards."  "Three  hundred  yards  be  damned!"  said  John, 
" it  was  half  a  mile  if  it  was  an  inch."  The  poor  old  man 
was  evidently  displeased,  and  he  toddled  back  with  the 
old  gun.  I  afterwards  learned  that  he  had  told  the  story 
of  my  killing  the  buffalo  with  that  gun  half  a  mile  off,  and 
none  of  his  neighbors  dared  dispute  it,  as  they  would  incur 
his  displeasure  by  so  doing,  and  he  had  told  the  story  so 
often  that  he  sincerely  believed  it.  If  anyone  ventured  to 
say  half  a  mile  was  a  pretty  long  shot,  he  made  John  not 
only  his  enemy,  but  became  obliged  to  listen  to  my  pedigree 
and  the  pedigree  of  the  gun,  and  he  would  make  assurance 
doubly  sure  by  his  old  stereotyped  expression — "Although 
he  was  only  a  boy  of  seventeen  he  was  a  man  of  twenty- 
seven." 

I  was  urged  to  remain  with  John,  and  did  so  for  two 
days.  As  I  was  about  to  depart  I  noticed  he  was  rather 
uneasy,  and  when  I  came  to  bid  him  good-by,  he  said  he 
was  going  with  me  for  a  short  distance.  I  helped  him 
into  the  buggy  and  he  rode  just  outside  the  town  and 
then  asked  me  to  stop;  said  he  could  not  walk  back  a 


506  MISTAKEN    IDENTITY. 

greater  distance,  but  he  must  come  out  thus  far  to  bid  me 
good-by,  he  could  not  do  it  before  all  those  people.  Poor 
old  man !  he  wept  like  a  child .  Four  years  have  since  elapsed 
and  I  do  not  know  if  he  has  survived  until  now.  I  went 
to  see  my  sister-in-law,  the  doctor's  wife.  She  was  in 
Chicago.  She  did  not  recognize  me.  I  gave  her  every 
chance  to  do  so ;  I  asked  her  if  she  remembered  kissing  a 
boy  thirty-four  years  before,  and  begging  him  not  to  go 
to  California,  but  to  go  home  to  his  mother.  Her  sister 
was  with  her  at  this  time.  She  sprang  up  and  said,  "I 
do,  Charlie,  and  I  will  kiss  you  now."  I  went  to  my  old- 
est brother's  in  Wisconsin.  His  wife,  who  was  at  that 
moment  alone,  would  not  know  me.  I  told  her  my  name, 
but  she  kept  on  sweeping.  I  began  to  think  I  was  getting 
a  rather  cool  reception,  when,  by  some  remark,  I  saw  she 
did  not  know  me.  I  told  her  she  did  not.  It  was  after- 
wards disclosed  that  some  years  before  there  was  a  man 
bearing  my  name  who  had  stolen  a  horse  in  that  neighbor- 
hood and  fled  the  country.  She  had  supposed  me  so  long 
dead  that  when  I  told  her  my  name  she  thought  I  must 
be  the  horse  thief,  and  that  accounted  for  my  cool 
reception. 

And  now  with  few  exceptions  of  near  kindred,  and  rare 
exceptions  of  early  acquaintances,  I  find  myself  substan- 
tially alone  in  my  native  country.  I  know  certainly  of 
but  two  now  living  who  crossed  the  plains  with  me  away 
back  in  '49.  Those  who  delved  with  me  in  the 
mines  of  California  have  probably  all,  or  nearly  all,  laid 
aside  the  pick  and  pan  of  mortal  life  and  "gone  over  the 
divide"  between  time  and  eternity.    In  early  times  in  the 


507 

Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  it  used  to  be  said  of  a  dead 
miner  that  he  had  gone  "  Over  the  Range." 

Half  sleeping  by  the  fire  I  sit ; 

I  start  and  wake,  it  is  so  strange 
To  find  myself  alone,  and  Tom 

Across  the  Range. 

We  brought  him  in  with  heavy  feet, 
And  eased  him  down ;  from  eye  to  eye, 

Though  no  one  spoke,  there  passed  a  fear 
That  Tom  must  die. 

He  rallied  when  the  sun  was  low, 
And  spoke — I  thought  the  words  were  strange — 

•'  It's  almost  night,  and  I  must  go 
Across  the  Range." 

"  What,  Tom  ?"    He  smiled  and  nodded.     "  Yes, 
They've  struck  it  rich  there,  Jim,  you  know 

The  parson  told  us ;  you'll  come  soon — 
Now  Tom  must  go." 

I  brought  his  sweetheart's  pictured  face  ; 

Again  that  smile  so  sad  and  strange, 
" Tell  her,"  he  said,  "that  Tom  has  gone 

Across  the  Range." 

The  last  light  lingered  on  the  hill ; 

"  There's  a  pass  somewhere,"  then  he  said.. 
And  lip,  and  eye,  and  hands  were  still, 
And  Tom  was  dead. 

Half  sleeping  by  the  fire  I  sit ; 

I  start  and  wake,  it  is  so  strange 
To  find  myself  alone,  and  Tom 

Across  the  Range. 


